Hotel & Catering Review - October 2017

OCTOBER 2017

Gold Standard The

REVAMPED DINING OPTIONS AT CASTLEKNOCK

THE PERFECT GIFT

SMARTBOX SEEKS HOTEL PARTNERS

THE 2017 WINNERS OF IRISH HOSPITALITY’S PREMIER AWARDS

#TRENDING TRENDING BUDGET 2018 | STYLE TRENDS | FOOD HEROES OFC_HCR_October 2017_Cover_V1.indd 1

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OCTOBER 2017

Go to hotelandcatering review.ie for the online edition

OCTOBER 2017

Gold Standard The

CONTENTS

REVAMPED DINING OPTIONS AT CASTLEKNOCK

THE PERFECT GIFT

SMARTBOX SEEKS HOTEL PARTNERS

THE 2017 WINNERS OF IRISH HOSPITALITY’S PREMIER AWARDS

#TRENDING TRENDING BUDGET 2018 | STYLE TRENDS | FOOD HEROES

Cover image:

Paul Sherwood Photography

IN THIS ISSUE

34 36

COVER STORY

19

GOLD MEDAL AWARDS 2017

40 (l-r): Martin King with the Gold Medal Supreme Winners Isabelle Kelly and Bill Kelly of Kelly’s Resort Hotel and Tracey Carney of Ashville Media Group.

The Gold Medal Awards are the leading independent awards for the Irish hospitality sector. This year there were 550 category entries, totalling 200 properties, across 32 award categories.

42 44

Maev Martin, Editor, Hotel & Catering Review

REGULARS

03

NEWS

12 ON THE

MOVE

16 46 KEY TO THE

STYLE

DOOR TRENDS OCTOBER 2017 | HOTEL

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Marketing Experience gift company Smartbox is keen to partner with Irish hotels and restaurants.

Interview Coca-Cola HBC Ireland and Northern Ireland on Schweppes’ innovative partnership with publicans.

Wine & Dine Modern design reflects revamped dining options at the Castleknock Hotel.

Food Heroes A new visitor attraction celebrates Ireland’s rope mussel industry.

Budget 2018 Irish tourism didn’t get its ‘Brexit Budget’ but some positive measures were announced this month.

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A Quick Chat With Brian McMonagle

Head Chef at the Seafood Bar in Dock 1, Galway

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Editorial & Production Manager: Mary Connaughton Editorial Assistant: Orla Connolly Art Director: Alan McArthur Creative Director: Jane Matthews Stock Photography: istockphotos.com Infographics: www.flaticon.com Production: Nicole Ennis Sales Director: Paul Clemenson Managing Director: Gerry Tynan Chairman: Diarmaid Lennon

Published by: Ashville Media, Old Stone Building, Blackhall Green, Dublin 7.

Tel: (01) 432 2200 ISSN: 0332-4400 All rights reserved. Every care has been taken to ensure that the information contained in this magazine is accurate. The publishers cannot, however, accept responsibility for errors or omissions. Reproduction by any means in whole or in part without the permission of the publisher is prohibited. © Ashville Media Group 2017. All discounts, promotions and competitions contained in this magazine are run independently of Hotel & Catering Review. The promoter/advertiser is responsible for honouring the prize.

Editor’s

VIEW T

here was bad news for the industry this month, with the Irish Tourist Industry Confederation reporting that Irish tourism’s Brexit problem shows no sign of abating. Despite strong growth from other markets, visitor numbers from Britain are down seven per cent for the year to date, which equates to over 200,000 fewer Britons coming to Ireland so far in 2017 over 2016. As sterling weakens and UK consumer confidence wobbles, British visitors to Ireland have been in decline for seven of the last eight months but, more worrying again, Ireland is losing market share as Britons choose to holiday abroad elsewhere. While ITIC welcomes the continued retention of the nine per cent VAT rate on the tourism and services sector, the confederation points out that the nine per cent rate is in line with the majority of European destinations. They also make the point that the supports available to tourism businesses pale in comparison with the portfolio of state supports available to other export sectors. “Regrettably the tourism sector does not appear to be a priority as a Brexit exposed export sector, despite upwards of 6.5bn annual export earnings supporting over 230,000 jobs and contributing 1.5bn in taxes to the Exchequer,” says the Confederation’s latest bulletin. “In Budget 2018 the Government announced a further series of measures to assist export sectors deal with the threats posed by Brexit. At this stage, and with evidence mounting of the serious Brexit impact on the Irish tourism industry, it is high time that the supports on offer to other export sectors are extended to tourism without delay.” Hotel & Catering Review is lending its voice in support of ITIC’s call for specific measures to assist Irish tourism businesses. If the government doesn’t act soon, we could be facing into another year of further decline in visitor numbers from the UK. So far, growth in other markets has been compensating for this fall off, but that can’t continue indefinitely.

www.hotelandcateringreview.ie @HC_Review

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@

Editor: Maev Martin Email: maev.martin@ ashvillemediagroup.com Telephone: 01 432 2271

info@hotelandcateringreview.ie

www.facebook.com/hotelandcateringreview

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NEWS (l-r): Declan Byrne, Bartenders Association of Ireland, John Cunningham, IFSA, Gareth Mullins, The Marker Hotel & Eurotoques, Shauna Downey, Restaurant Association of Ireland, Niamh Kenny, IFSA and Ruth Hegarty- Chef Network.

ALL INDUSTRY SUPPORT FOR FOOD & BEV LIVE Food & Bev Live, taking place in Citywest, Dublin on February 6th and 7th 2018, is returning to kick start the 2018 hospitality season. Brought to the industry by IFSA and the Restaurants Association of Ireland (RAI), the event will feature industry-specific exhibitors who will be offering innovations and solutions for Ireland’s foodservice and hospitality sectors. Food & Bev Live 2018 is the only expo in Ireland to have industrywide support, resulting in a unique opportunity for exhibitors and visitors alike to attract business from leading industry associations across the sector. Food & Bev Live 2018 partners include The Restaurants Association of Ireland, Chef Network, The Speciality Coffee Association of Europe (Irish chapter), Euro-Toques Ireland, the Panel of Chefs, the Irish Hospitality Institute, the Bartenders Association of Ireland, and the Catering Management Association of Ireland. In a first for the sector, Food & Bev Live and new event partners, the Restaurants Association of Ireland (RAI), will host the Global Hospitality Tech Summit 2018, which aims to be the world’s largest conference dedicated to examining recent trends in technology and their impact on the hospitality sector.

MARRIOTT UPS ITS GAME ONLINE Marriott Digital Services (MDS), Marriott International’s in-house digital services solution for hotels, has partnered with technology provider, Avvio, with the aim of delivering online excellence for its partner hotel clients. “Avvio is now providing outsourced partner services for the MDS team to support the world’s largest hospitality company in its quest to provide hotel partners with a digital experience unmatched by any other organisation of its size,” says Rich Tuckwell, Global VP at Avvio. “As digitalisation advances and travellers increasingly expect enhanced and dynamic online interactions with hotels, Avvio and Marriott Digital Services are working together to continue exceeding these expectations.”

DALATA PARTNERS WITH BORD GÁIS ENERGY

(l-r) John Smith, Key Account Manager with Bord Gáis Energy, and Stephen Clarke, Group Financial Controller, Dalata Hotel Group.

Dalata Hotel Group and Bord Gáis Energy recently agreed a new two-year green electricity supply deal, which is estimated to be worth approximately 6m. The deal establishes Bord Gáis Energy as the exclusive electricity supplier to the Dalata Hotel Group in the Republic of Ireland. The contract also delivers substantial costs savings in energy for the hotel group. The group’s Gibson Hotel is currently piloting Centrica Business Solutions’ Panoramic Powerproduct, available exclusively in Ireland through Bord Gáis Energy. This technology gives users real-time device monitoring through the installation of non-invasive wireless self-powered sensors, combined with cloud-based analytics, providing the hotel’s management with complete visibility into the site’s energy consumption.

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VIEWMOUNT HOUSE IS HOSPITALITY HERO The best in Irish hospitality gathered at Bord Bia’s Thinking House in Dublin recently for the announcement of the 2018 Georgina Campbell Awards. Top award winners on the day included: James and Beryl Kearney and Gary O’Hanlon, Viewmount House, Longford, Co Longford (Georgina Campbell ‘Hospitality Hero’ Award, in recognition of a special contribution to Irish food & hospitality); The Twelve Hotel Barna, Co. Galway (Hotel of the Year); Dax Restaurant, Dublin (Restaurant of the Year); David McCann, Dromoland Castle, Co Clare (Chef of the Year), and Bar One, Castlebar, Co Mayo (Pub of the Year). Commenting on trends coming through, Ms Campbell said that rising hotel prices are of concern, especially in cities “(and particularly when prices are hiked for events - something we would like to see ended). While investment in overdue refurbishment is welcome and some increases are necessary, our competitive edge is under threat once again...To get best value, customers can support Irish hotels and get best prices by booking directly and saving the huge (up to 20%) fees otherwise paid to online booking agencies; to make this happen, accommodation providers need to promote the value they offer more and ensure that online booking through their own sites can match the ease and speed of the competition.”

James and Beryl Kearney and Gary O’Hanlon, Viewmount House, Longford, Co Longford.

MUSGRAVE MARKETPLACE UNVEILS 2.5M UPGRADE

Bow Lane Head Chef Gavin McDonagh, chef Louise Lennox of TV3 show The Restaurant, and mixologist Andy Ferreira of Cask at the launch.

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Guests gathered at the launch of the newly revamped Musgrave MarketPlace Robinhood branch on Tuesday, September 26th. In celebration of the new-look branch located in Clondalkin, Dublin 22, Musgrave MarketPlace held a night for food lovers with talks and demonstrations from key tastemakers in the industry. The event, which was hosted by well-known chef Louise Lennox of hit TV3 show ‘The Restaurant,’ saw critically acclaimed Head Chef Gavin McDonagh of Dublin’s Bow Lane demonstrate popular seasonal dishes and share expert cooking tips and advice. Award-winning mixologist Andy Ferreira of Cask in Cork was also on hand to give guests a taste of the cocktails that are predicted to trend this autumn winter. The 2.5m upgrade forms part of a 10.7m investment in the brand over the past two years.The relaunch of the Musgrave MarketPlace brand began last November with the opening of the flagship 2.2m Ballymun Food Emporium. Over 1m has also been invested in its Duncrue branch in Belfast and further refurbishments are planned for 2018.The revamped branches have been transformed into food emporiums offering customers a more modern and interactive shopping experience. Each revamped branch contains speciality counters for meat, cheese and fish, as well as expert advice in-store and an expanded product range to cater for the changing tastes of its customers.

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AIRBNB GUESTS GENERATE 66M FOR DUBLIN RESTAURANTS Airbnb released a global report last month which showed that guests to Dublin have spent 66m in local restaurants since September 2016. The report, Airbnb: Generating $6.5bn for Restaurants Around the World, focuses on 44 cities, including Dublin. The city’s eateries have benefited from a dramatic rise in guest spending, increasing 25m since the same time last year. Across the 10 European cities cited in the report, including (London, Paris, and Barcelona), guests have spent more than 2.5bn 700m more than in 2016. The average Airbnb guest spends between $40 to $100 per night in restaurants, and with almost three quarters of guests staying in neighbourhoods outside of the main hotel districts, local cafés and family-run businesses are seeing this new type of customer. Almost half (43%) of all guest spending occurs in the neighbourhood in which they are staying, and 56% of guests who saved money by using Airbnb spent more on food and shopping.

HELPING CHEFS PREP FOR NEW ADDITIONS Up to 30 chefs from across Dublin took part in a two-day Commis Chef Mentoring Programme run by Fáilte Ireland at the Cooks Academy and in Brooks Hotel, Dublin, on September 19th and 20th. The event was the first of a number of Commis Chef Mentoring Programmes that Fáilte Ireland is holding across the country over the next few of weeks. The new programme prepares current practitioners to provide aspiring future chefs with a rich experience within the workplace as new entrants to the industry enroll for the new Commis Chef Apprenticeship Programme, which has been developed by SOLAS with the support of Fáilte Ireland, the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) and the Restaurants Association of Ireland (RAI). Niall McKenna, from James Street South, Belfast, spoke about the role of the mentor and the importance of nurturing people in the workplace. Adrian Cummins, Chief Executive of the Restaurants Association of Ireland, encouraged restaurants and hospitality businesses to feed into the apprenticeship scheme locally and utilise the opportunity to upskill existing staff or take on an apprentice chef.

At the Chef Mentoring course at Cooks Academy are (l-r): Niall McKenna, Chef Proprietor Hadskis, Caroline Byrne, Fáilte Ireland, Stuart Wildsmith, University College Birmingham, Paul Kelly, Merrion Hotel, Michelle Kavanagh, University College Birmingham, and Oliver Sullivan, Fáilte Ireland.

SANDYMOUNT CELEBRATES 6M REFURB

John Loughran Sandymount Hotel and Susan O ‘ Dwyer of the Make a Wish Foundation at the celebrations.

Dublin’s Sandymount Hotel celebrated being awarded its fourth star by Fáilte Ireland and the launch of its 6m refurbishment with an End of Summer BBQ last month. Over 200 corporates, locals, media and influencers were invited to join in the celebrations, and explore the new interiors across The Line Out Bar, Whitty’s Restaurant, garden and bedrooms. Guests were entertained by Latin band, The Havana Club, who provided the music on the night. Cooking up a storm in the kitchen was Head Chef, Shane Hickey, who served a range of BBQ bites in the newly renovated garden.

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WELCOME AND COSTA HELP HOTELIERS Northamptonshire, UK-based hotel booking software specialists Welcome Systems has appointed Costa Systems as its sole agent in The Republic of Ireland for its Welcome Anywhere hotel booking system. “Welcome Anywhere is used by hundreds of hoteliers in the UK who love its ease of use and cutting-edge features,” says Managing Director, John Jones.

“The days of expensive, clunky booking systems are gone and we are going to break new ground in Ireland by bringing our next generation product to hotels, B&Bs and guest houses there.” Cornie McGinley, Managing Director of Co Meath-based Costa Systems, says that B&Bs, pubs with rooms, and guest houses need to work harder than ever before to deliver an unforgettable guest experience, particularly as the Irish visitor economy takes off. (l-r): John Jones, Welcome Systems Managing Director, and Cornie McGinley, Costa Systems Managing Director.

SODEXO EMPLOYEE IS BARISTA OF THE YEAR Veronica Palacios, a barista for Sodexo at the An Post staff restaurant at the GPO in Dublin, has been crowned the 2017 UK and Ireland Barista of the Year at the Sodexo Salon Culinaire in Ascot Racecourse. Veronica, who came to Ireland from Venezuela four years ago, joined Sodexo last year with no formal training in coffee but with plenty of talent. Encouraged by David Byrne, the group site manager at An Post, she undertook an intensive barista training course organised by the company in June 2017. Veronica went on to win the Irish heat of the Barista of the Year competition at the end of August and then travelled to the Salon Culinaire at Ascot to take part in the UK and Ireland Final against nine other competitors from England, Scotland and Wales.

NEW DATA REVEALS SURGE IN IRISH TRAVEL TO UK Irish demand for travel to the UK is booming as the number of UK citizens heading to Ireland falls. That’s the finding of new analysis published by foreign exchange specialist, Fexco Corporate Payments. Fexco Corporate Payments analysed 412 Sterling transactions made by its currency dealers on behalf of Irish travel agents between January 1st and August 31st 2017 and during the same period in 2016. Transactions ranged in size from 100 to 116,000. By the end of August 2017, Irish travel agents had spent 68% more on UK travel and accommodation than they did during the same period in 2016. While the total number of UK-bound transactions increased by a relatively modest nine per cent between 2016 and 2017, the average transaction size rose by more than half (54%), from 3,978 in 2016 to 6,110 in 2017. The findings suggest that travel agents are buying more UK bed nights for customers this year compared to last, as more Irish travellers choose Britain over other European destinations.

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BREXIT RAINS ON HOTELIERS’ SUMMER SEASON

LONDON GETS FLAVOUR OF IRELAND Tourism Minister Brendan Griffin joined tourism enterprises from the island of Ireland in London this month for Flavours of Ireland 2017. Now in its 15th year, the annual B2B tourism workshop saw 100 representatives of the top inbound tour operators based in Britain come together to do business with the various tourism organisations from Ireland. “Figures issued by the CSO confirm that we welcomed over 6.7 million overseas visitors during the January to August period,” says David Boyce, Tourism Ireland’s Head of Asia, Middle East and UK Inbound. “This represents growth of +2.5% - or 161,800 additional visitors - on the same eight-month period in 2016.”

The majority of Irish hotels and guesthouses are reporting a continued fall in business levels from the UK this summer, according to the results of the latest quarterly barometer from the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF).

The survey was based on responses from owners and general managers of hotel and guesthouse businesses across the country and was conducted during September 2017. While business levels overall were up across the summer months, with seven in ten hoteliers (71%) seeing an increase compared to this time last year, most (69%) reported a fall in business from Great Britain, with over half (54%) saying Northern Ireland business levels had dropped too. Over half (56%) of hoteliers say future bookings from Northern Ireland are down, while nearly two thirds (65%) see a drop in advance bookings from Great Britain.

IHF President Joe Dolan is calling on the Government to take the necessary steps to protect Irish tourism and to avoid any changes in policy that would weaken our sector’s ability to deal with the risks it faces due to Brexit.

Alison Johnston, Kildare Village, Robert Campana, Cann Travel, Joan O’Shaughnessy, Chairman of Tourism Ireland, and Tourism Minister Brendan Griffin at Flavours of Ireland.

SALES BLITZ TARGETS OVERSEAS OPERATORS Fáilte Ireland hosted the first in a series of custom-made workshops on September 18th as part of a targeted 2018 sales drive to enable Irish tourism operators to pitch directly to the cream of the global travel industry. In the Hotel Westport, Co Mayo, a group of key British travel agents attended the first of these events, Fáilte Ireland’s ‘Great Britain Coach and Group Workshop.’ This event was followed by a Canada Expo Workshop in the Slieve Russell Hotel, Cavan on October 19th and the UK Inbound Workshop at the Sligo Radisson Hotel on October 25th. Over the next few weeks in excess of 200 Irish tourism businesses will engage in over 10,000 oneto-one meetings with approximately 100 important British, Canadian and long haul tour operators at workshops hosted by Fáilte Ireland in partnership with overseas marketing agency Tourism Ireland.

Oonagh Kelly, Failte Ireland, Fiona Delahunty, Griffin Hotel Group, Shannon Forrest, Fethard House Country Experience, David McCoy, House of Waterford Crystal and Caroline Rice, Heritage Ireland.

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DUBLIN IS MOST SEARCHED TRAVEL DESTINATION Dublin is the most popular destination, while Donegal Town is the most expensive.

UK residents account for the largest group of inbound travellers and visitors from Germany and Spain take the longest getaway of an average duration of four nights. That’s according to the latest data from trivago, which reveals that 86% of international searches for destinations in Ireland come from just 10 countries. “Our data shows that domestic travellers are willing to spend an average of 18 more in the top destinations than visitors coming from offshore countries,” says Lenka Trckova, Industry Management UK & Ireland, Hotel Relations.

“Within the top ranked cities, locals will pay the highest rates in Dublin.

However, international travellers will go even bigger for Donegal town, with hotel guests paying 164 per night.”

The 2017 autumn travel trends are based on data gathered from trivago.com searches between June 1st and August 2nd 2017, for the period of October 1st to November 20th 2017 and includes searches for stays of three and more days. All prices shown are the average clicked prices selected by trivago users for a standard double room.

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TRINITY IS PREFERRED PROCURER FOR CHOICE International procurement service company, Trinity Purchasing, a wholly owned subsidiary of Prem Group, and Choice Hotels International have entered into an agreement which will see Trinity Purchasing become a preferred procurement resource with exclusive rights to source branded products for some of Choice’s hotel brands, including Clarion, Comfort and Quality, in select European countries. Globally, Choice Hotels International franchises over 6,500 hotels in 40 countries. Choice Hotels has selected Trinity Purchasing to supply collective products and services to clients across the hospitality industry via a network of over 400 strictly-vetted suppliers.“We are looking forward to leveraging Trinity’s purchasing power to further enhance our value proposition,” says Choice’s Senior Vice President of International, Mark Pearce.

Claire Canning, Slane Distillery, Co Meath, Justine Carey, Fáilte Ireland and Mary Bulfin, Wild Food Mary, Birr, Co Offaly.

FOOD AND DRINK GUIDE FOR VISITOR EXPERIENCES Fáilte Ireland recently launched ‘Ireland’s Ancient East - A Guide for Food and Drink Visitor Experiences’ for food businesses that wish to diversify into tourism in Ireland’s Ancient East at a workshop in the Killeshin Hotel in Portlaoise. The guide will provide businesses with the tools to help give visitors an unforgettable experience by sharing the great stories of our food and place, the history and ingredients. The workshop was facilitated by Tina O’Dwyer, professional trainer who specialises in food tourism. This two-phase training and support pilot programme will provide mentoring, sales training and help with promoting and selling to increase sales and revenue growth for businesses.

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Commercial

PROFILE

FÁILTE IRELAND ROLLS OUT SUPPORTS AS INDUSTRY CONFIDENCE DIPS

WHILE FÁILTE IRELAND’S LATEST DATA SHOWS A DIP IN INDUSTRY CONFIDENCE, THE ORGANISATION’S PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITIES CONTINUE APACE, WITH BLOGGERS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD EXPLORING IRELAND, A NEW FOOD INNOVATION PROGRAMME GIVING VISITORS A TASTE OF PLACE, AND EVEN CELEBRITY STATUES SPREADING THE WORD.

GET BREXIT READY

From left Carol Harkin, McGrory's Hotel, Joan Crawford, Fáilte Ireland, Suzanne McFeeley, McGrory's Hotel, Martina Bromley, Fáilte Ireland, and Joeleen McDermott, Inishowen Gateway.

Photo Clive Wasson

Brexit Information sessions, preparing tourism businesses to ‘Get Brexit Ready,’ took place recently in Bundoran, Donegal, Dublin and Cork city. The sessions are part of Fáilte Ireland’s response to Brexit, which includes a suite of industry supports designed to help businesses at risk or already struggling with the loss of trade created by Brexit.

Find everything you need at www.failteireland.ie/ getbrexitready

SECTOR SENTIMENT SOFTENS IN LATEST TOURISM BAROMETER

T

he latest Fáilte Ireland Tourism Barometer shows that overall industry sentiment, while still healthy, is less positive than in recent post-crisis years. According to the barometer, the tourism accommodation sector is performing well this year, with 63% of businesses receiving more visitors than the same period last year. However, when tourism enterprises are surveyed about performance across markets, Northern Ireland and Britain clearly stand out as areas of concern. Half of the accommodation providers surveyed are reporting that British business is down and two in five have experienced a drop in Northern Irish tourists.“Tourism performance, in general, is still robust but Brexit is having an impact,” says Fáilte Ireland CEO Paul Kelly. “On a national level, losses from the British market are being compensated for by strong performances in American and other

markets. However, for those regions that are heavily reliant on British and Northern Irish tourists, this offers little consolation and Brexit is already making a real impact in many counties. The recent retention of the lower VAT rate will be of assistance to any struggling businesses. Furthermore, through our ‘Get Brexit Ready’ programme, Fáilte Ireland is working with those tourism businesses who are over-reliant on the British market to help them minimise their risks by diversifying into other stronger prospects. Industry sentiment is positive regarding this year’s performance.

However, a sense of caution is emerging, with almost a third of accommodation providers maintaining the status quo in 2017 and 15% expressing negative sentiment. Observing the trend, confidence is at its lowest levels in four years.”

Get the full commentary and barometer results at www.failteireland.ie

HOTEL

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PROFILE

IF STATUES COULD TALK...

V

isitors to Dublin can now take a call from well-known Dublin statues such as Oscar Wilde and Cú Chullain as actors Brendan Gleeson, Brenda Fricker and Gabrial Byrne voice stories penned by outstanding authors such as John Banville and Roddy Doyle.

This new innovative, city-wide initiative, known as Dublin’s Talking Statues, was launched by Fáilte Ireland earlier this month and aims to bring Dublin’s story to life for visitors as they explore the city.

Pictured is from left, Collette Hiller, Sing London, Deputy Lord Mayor, Cllr Aine Clancy and Keelin Fagan, Failte Ireland at the James Joyce statue

This month Fáilte Ireland has been rolling out an exciting new food innovation programme ‘Taste of Place’ to help Ireland’s visitor attractions to improve and enhance their food and drink offering. The programme, which supports catering teams at high density attractions to deliver an authentic and quality food and beverage experience, has taken place in Anair, Galway, the Tannery, Dungarvan, Co Waterford and at Cooks Academy in Dublin.

HOTEL

Get a full list of statues, and find out more about the project at www. talkingstatuesdublin.ie

TASTE OF PLACE

Markus Schafroth, Jameson Experience, Cork; Paulina O’Brien, House of Waterford Crystal; Eoghan Whelan, Wicklow Gaol; Sinead Hennessy, Fáilte Ireland; Paul Flynn, Chef, The Tannery Cookery School, Dungarvan; Kevin Quinn, Fáilte Ireland; Carol MaGuire, Bru Na Boinne, Meath; David Chapman, Hook Lighthouse, Wexford; Noreen Murphy and Natalia Pivovarjonoka, Cafe Carlton Newbridge Silverwear.

BLOGGERS EXPLORE IRELAND

Europe’s Biggest Blogger Gathering Made a Very Big Impression

More than three billion Twitter impressions were generated globally in relation to Ireland and the TBEX conference recently as more than 600 of the world’s top travel social influencers gathered in Killarney in early October to attend TBEX Europe, the largest gathering of travel bloggers, writers, content creators and social media influencers in Europe.

A MUST VISIT FOR CLASSIC VACATIONS One of the largest tour operators in the US, Classic Vacations, experienced the Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland’s Ancient East and Dublin recently with a view to including Ireland in their itineraries for 2018.

The Classic Vacations tour operators are pictured checking out Ballinahinch Castle, Co Mayo

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ON THE MOVE

Move

On the

NEIL AULTON

SELINA MURPHY

NEW POSITION GROUP DIRECTOR OF SALES AND MARKETING

NEW POSITION HEAD OF STRATEGY & INSIGHTS

NEW POSITION DEPUTY GENERAL MANAGER

EMPLOYER FLYNN HOTELS

EMPLOYER TOURISM IRELAND

ANNE MARIE HALLINAN

Flynn Hotels has appointed Anne Marie Hallinan as Group Director of Sales and Marketing across the group’s four properties - Newpark Hotel, Kilkenny; Imperial Hotel, Cork; Old Ground Hotel, Ennis; and The Park Hotel, Dungarvan. With over 20 years’ experience, Anne Marie has worked in a variety of positions in the hospitality industry, from operations to General Manager, and Sales and Marketing to Senior Management level in three, four and five star properties across Ireland. Prior to her recent appointment, Anne Marie was Corporate Sales Manager at the five star Lyrath Estate Hotel in Kilkenny. She holds a degree in Hotel and Catering Management and a BBS in Tourism Hospitality Management from Athlone IT. She also has diplomas in sales and marketing, event management and digital marketing.

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New Appointments, Promotions and Recruitment

HOTEL

Neil Aulton has been appointed as Head of Strategy & Insights with Tourism Ireland. Neil has more than 20 years’ experience in strategic planning and market and consumer research. Most recently, he was Managing Director of Strategy & Planning for Future Thinking, a UK market research consultancy engaged in a wide range of research, including customer experience, stakeholder management, communications and branding. For much of his career, Neil has been involved in the transport, travel and tourism sectors, which has included responsibility for official tourism statistics for both VisitBritain and Nielsen New Zealand. Neil took up his new post on October 9th 2017.

EMPLOYER CARTON HOUSE

Carton House is further strengthening its expert management team with the appointment of four new senior team members. Selina Murphy takes over as Deputy General Manager, Lorraine Allis as Assistant Director of Sales and Marketing, Sean Clancy will support Director of Golf, David Kearney as Golf Sales Manager, while Paul Quinn is the new Head Chef.

Selina Murphy joins Carton House from the position of Deputy General Manager at The Gibson Hotel, Point Village. Kickstarting her early career at the five star Shelbourne Hotel Dublin, Selina now brings over 20 years’ experience to her new role, having previously held senior management roles with The Choice Hotel Group at Liffey Valley and Dublin Airport.

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ON THE MOVE

LORRAINE ALLIS

PAUL QUINN

SEÁN CLANCY

NEW POSITION ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF SALES & MARKETING

NEW POSITION HEAD CHEF, LINDEN TREE RESTAURANT

NEW POSITION GOLF SALES MANAGER

EMPLOYER CARTON HOUSE

EMPLOYER CARTON HOUSE

Lorraine Allis’ extensive experience in the Irish hotel industry means that she is well placed to lead the sales and marketing initiatives at Carton House in her new position as Assistant Director of Sales and Marketing. Over the past decade, Lorraine has held many senior roles within leading Irish hotel groups, including FBD Hotels, Carlton Hotel Group, and most recently, Sinnott Hotels, where she joins Carton House from Brooks Hotel, a Small Luxury Hotel of the World. As Assistant Director of Sales & Marketing, Lorraine will roll out campaigns for the resort to support the residential, conference, leisure, corporate, food & beverage, golf and spa markets.

A Michelin trained chef, Paul Quinn recently occupied the role of Head Chef at the award-winning Linden Tree restaurant at Carton House.

Joining the hotel from the famous Nolita Restaurant in Dublin, he brings over 20 years’ experience of managing top Irish and international restaurants, including the Regent Grand Resort in the Caribbean and restaurants in West Palm Beach, Florida. He is also well known for his stints at Fallon & Byrne, The Village at Lyons, and for tracking food trends worldwide with La Rousse Foods. In his new role, Paul has been instrumental in contributing a new direction for the resort’s food and service offering, whether it is introducing new menus and culinary tastes, or cooking for European leaders and some of Ireland’s and the world’s top athletes.

EMPLOYER CARTON HOUSE

Seán Clancy joins Carton House as Golf Sales Manager, having previously held roles in the golf industry at Carr Golf Travel, Portmarnock Hotel & Golf Links, and The Celtic Manor Resort, where the 2010 Ryder Cup was held.

Most recently, Seán was Sales and Business Development Manager for Horse Racing Ireland at Leopardstown Racecourse during their extensive 20m redevelopment programme. A keen golfer since the age of six, Seán will work under the guidance of PGA professional and Director of Golf David Kearney, welcoming golfers from far and wide to the golf facilities and two championship courses on offer at Carton House.

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ON THE MOVE

INGRID FALLON

GERRY MARTIN

PHILIP WOOD

NEW POSITION REGIONAL SALES MANAGER

NEW POSITION VENDING SERVICE MANAGER

NEW POSITION SENIOR BID MANAGER

EMPLOYER GUESTLINE

EMPLOYER MOUNT CHARLES

EMPLOYER MOUNT CHARLES

Following the launch of its new Ireland office and introduction of a dedicated country manager, global hospitality software business Guestline has appointed Ingrid Fallon as Regional Sales Manager.

Ingrid joins the team with immediate effect and brings with her over nine years of experience in the hospitality industry, having worked as regional director of business development for Evolution Distribution and business development manager for Ireland for SoftBrands Hospitality, as well as a previous sales executive role at Guestline.

Industry events that Guestline’s new Ireland team will be attending include the Irish Hospitality Institute Founders Banquet and Awards in Dublin on November 23rd.

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HOTEL

Support services giant Mount Charles has appointed Gerry Martin as Vending Service Manager.

Gerry joins Mount Charles following over 20 years’ experience in the vending industry, with previous roles including all-Ireland Operations Manager at both Selecta and Autobar Vending. In his new role, Gerry will manage and grow client relationships across the private and public sectors in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Mount Charles provides fullservice vending solutions for a range of business and industry clients, supplying everything from table top machines to free-standing units that are stocked with leading consumer brands, as well as healthy options.

Philip Wood is the new Senior Bid Manager at Mount Charles. Philip has held a number of senior leadership and account management roles, with previous employers including RAC Motoring Services, Teleperformance and Transcom. He now leads the bid management team at Mount Charles, where he will be tasked with co-ordinating comprehensive, creative and tailored responses to new business proposals and contract renewals. The Mount Charles group is Ireland’s leading indigenous support service organisation, with over 2,000 staff working in 150 locations across the UK and Ireland.

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The Perfect Escape The Kelly’s experience is made of moments that rely on a time, a place or a person, but guaranteed to make you wish to return again and again.

A choice of fine dining, championship golf or beautiful Spa, everything you would expect from a luxury resort.

Kelly’s is the ideal place to celebrate that special occasion. Enquire with our reservation team, about our special celebratory package.

“A timeless tradition for young and old” “2017 Hotel & Catering Supreme Winners”

November Activities 2017

Kelly’s Resort Hotel Ltd, Rosslare, Co. Wexford, Ireland.

Enjoy Special Activities Midweeks during November.

T. +353 (0)53 9132114 E. info@kellys.ie www.kellys.ie

Call today for our Autumn brochure, or visit www.kellys.ie

WE WON

Ireland’s Best Hotel Website

Portmarnock HOTEL & GOLF LINKS

CELEBR ATE WITH US WE C ATER FOR ALL PAR T Y & FUNC TION NEEDS The Wyatt Hotel, Octagon, Westport.

098 25027 reservations@wyatthotel.com www.wyatthotel.com

Ireland’s Four Star Resort Winner 2017 +353 (0) 1 8460611 | info@portmarnock.com | www.portmarnock.com

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DOOR

KEY TO THE DOOR

KEY TO THE

Openings, Closures, Refurbs and Acquisitions

CHOICE GROUP PLANS FURTHER ACQUISITIONS Last month the Choice Hotel Group added two new properties to the group by purchasing the House Hotel in Galway city and buying back Dalata’s lease interest in the Croydon Park Hotel in London. Choice Hotel Group sold it to Dalata in March 2016 as part of a group sale. “We completed the purchase of House in late August,” says Andrew O’Neill, CEO, Choice Hotel Group. “We bought the property from the receiver Aiden Murphy in Crowe Horwath for 5.5m.

Regarding the 211-bed Croydon Park, we had sold it to Dalata as part of a block sale of four assets and we bought back the lease interest in June this year. These two purchases take us up to eight hotels in Ireland and the UK and we hope to have 10 by the end of 2017. We are stil looking for further acquisition opportunities in Ireland and the UK, predominantly in the four and five star bracket, and we are trying to complete another purchase in the west of Ireland at the moment, which will hopefully go through in the next couple of months.”

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ADARE MANOR TO OPEN NOVEMBER 2ND Adare Manor will re-open its doors to guests on November 2nd, following an 18-month extensive restoration, refurbishment and expansion programme. The resort, with newly designed guest bedrooms and public areas by architects Reardon Smith, now offers a new 42-bedroom wing, bringing the total number of rooms to 104, and a new ballroom with a capacity for 350 guests. All have been clad in limestone, complementing the architectural detail of the original Manor House.

The original building, of Neo-Gothic architectural heritage, has been fully developed inside with a new La Mer spa, pool and relaxation area, as well as a boardroom and cinema. The major refurbishment and construction works also included upgrading and completely restoring all internal and external finishes, furniture and woodwork, and repairing all external stonework, windows and doors. The entire roof has been removed, fully repaired and put back in place. A complete upgrade to all mechanical and electrical services has been undertaken, including the introduction of a new heating and cooling system for all guest rooms. In addition, the golf course at Adare Manor has been completely rebuilt, redesigned and remodelled, led by world-renowned golf course architect Tom Fazio.

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KEY TO THE DOOR

POWERSCOURT IN PROFIT The company that operates the five-star Powerscourt Hotel in Co Wicklow reported net profits of 1.62m on September 19th, according to a report in the Irish Examiner. Accounts filed by Sugarloaf Ventures Ltd also show that revenues increased by 12% to 20.59m last year. The accounts benefited from a corporate tax credit of 506,322.

The hotel, which includes 194 rooms, including 93 suites and a 30,000 square foot spa, as well as two golf courses, has seen strong growth in visitor numbers from the European and US markets.

DALATA CLOSES ON LIFFEY VALLEY Conall and petra wolsey during the construction of the new rooftop bar and garden.

BULLITT BAR OPENS THIS MONTH As Belfast’s Bullitt Hotel approaches its first anniversary, the hotel’s new rooftop bar and garden, Babel opened on October 20th as part of the hotel’s planned Stg£1.75m expansion. Work is progressing on phase two of Bullitt, which will also see 31 new bedrooms being added this year, including the hotel’s first twin rooms. The expansion will create 30 new jobs, bringing the total number of people employed by the hotel to 130. Babel has capacity for 250 people and includes an open-air terrace with panoramic views over the city. It also features an interior living wall made up of 300 fresh plants and herbs and a vertical exterior garden wall that can be seen from ground level. Shaking up Belfast’s cocktail scene and a first for the city, Babel’s drinks menu is based around ‘Shrub Cocktails,’ with the bar’s living walls providing a fresh supply of herbs, to be used as ingredients and garnishes, for the cocktails. The venue is available for private hire and has its own food offering, influenced by South and East Asian cuisine. The 2016 annual industry survey from ASM Chartered Accountants recorded a high occupancy rate of 83.5% for Belfast.

Dalata announced on September 18th that it had acquired the long leasehold interest of 33 suites in the Clarion Hotel Liffey Valley, Dublin 22, bringing its goal of obtaining outright ownership of the hotel closer. Earlier in September, Dalata completed the acquisition of the core Clarion Hotel Liffey Valley, incorporating 158 bedrooms, the leisure centre, meeting rooms, reception, bar and restaurant, carpark and two vacant retail units. The group acquired the property from US fund Colony Capital and intends to rebrand it as a Clayton Hotel in the last quarter of 2017. It has now entered into an agreement with Martin Ferris as receiver to acquire a further 33 suites, the equivalent of 99 rooms, for a price of 8.58m, in cash.

At the time of writing, it was expected that the transaction would close later in September. The move means that Dalata will now own and operate 257 bedrooms in the 352 room hotel. The hotel operator is now expected to try to secure agreement with about 50 individual investors who bought the remaining suites at the hotel, and are represented in discussions by property group CBRE.

METROPOLE PLANS EXPANSION Over 400 new bedrooms will be added to the Cork Metropole Hotel as part of a 50m expansion plan by owners Trigon Hotels Ltd. The investment will involve a refurbishment of the existing hotel, along with the development of a new building at the adjacent former garage site on St Patrick’s Quay. The new building, which is to be called Hotel M, will be a seven-storey development housing 228 bedrooms. The two buildings will be joined by pedestrian link bridges at first and sixth floor levels. In addition, existing structures to the rear of the hotel are to be demolished to make way for a seven storey building to comprise 140 bedrooms, along with bar and restaurant facilities, and four ground floor retail/cafe units, as well as 92 parking spaces in two basement levels. Subject to planning permission, it is anticipated that the works will take three years to complete.

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Commercial

PROFILE

ACCESS FOR ALL IS A

PROFITABLE BUSINESS LOOKING AFTER THE NEEDS OF DISABLED PEOPLE IS NOT JUST IMPORTANT FROM A LEGAL PERSPECTIVE. ACCORDING TO THE HOTEL INSPECTORS, IT’S ALSO VERY GOOD FOR BUSINESS.

A

n analysis of the size of the accessible tourism market shows that 70% of the population demanding accessibility have both the financial as well as the physical capabilities to travel, generating potential revenues of €88.6bn by 2025. Tourism businesses with improved accessibility appeal to a wider range of visitors. It’s not just disabled visitors who benefit; it’s families, older people,

practically all your visitors in one way or another.

Almost 83% of people trust online customer reviews as much as personal recommendations when making a decision about where they will want, and will feel safe, to stay. Accessible tourism travellers are extremely savvy and belong to many social media groups, forums and blogs that are crucial to their travel plans.

These platforms are used by

the majority of travellers so, if a business gets it right, the value to future growth in the sector could be huge.

When The Hotel Inspectors carry out an inspection we look at things like ramp gradients, automated door opening, elevators, manoeuvring space, types of door handles, and heights of switches and power outlets.

However, our remit does not cover advising hoteliers to knock down walls or build

extensions, or the ripping out of bathrooms. We commonly suggest changes that can be achieved at little or no cost, and it is often these smaller changes that will have the biggest impact. Why should you bother making these changes? Well, it’s simple.

We have an ageing population and the baby boomers are getting older but they still want a good time. And they have the money to make that happen!

THE HOTEL INSPECTORS Disability Access Inspection • Min 80 point jargon free report with photographs where appropriate • Totally independent and unbiased service • Everything covered from reservation call to checkout/Bill payment • Improve staff knowledge and attitude • Widen your customer base • Inspection carried out through the eyes of a disabled traveller • Hotel Inspectors Certificate of Accessibility

Contact details Darren Jones / David Perry www.thehotelinspectors.com info@miraborgroup.com Tel: +44 (0) 2892 698 955

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OUR SPONSORS

T

he Gold Medal Awards 2017 took place at the Lyrath Estate Hotel in Kilkenny on September 26th. TV3’s Martin King was MC for the evening as over 400 professionals from across the hotel and catering industry were in attendance to congratulate the winners. Kelly’s Resort Hotel was the Supreme Winner and the prestigious Outstanding Service Award was presented to Aidan Moynihan, General Manager at the Hotel Killarney. This year, our events team reported 550 category entries, totalling 200 properties, across 32 award categories, and our expert judging panel visited 200 properties. During its 29-year history, the Gold Medal Awards have been consistently recognised as the leading independent awards for the Irish hospitality sector. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our sponsors for their support again this year, and the Lyrath Estate Hotel, which did a superb job of hosting our awards for the second year in a row. As was the case last year, we have been receiving excellent feedback from our guests about the service, professionalism and warmth of the team at the Lyrath. We hope that you enjoyed the 2017 Gold Medal Awards night and, if you weren’t there, we would love to see you at next year’s event.

(l-r): Martin King with the Gold Medal Supreme Winners Isabelle Kelly and Bill Kelly of Kelly’s Resort Hotel and Tracey Carney of Ashville Media Group.

NUMBERS ON THE NIGHT

560+

Maev Martin

entries

Editor

200+ properties visited

460+ people in the room

Chris Whooley, Sophia Breitkopf, Sherna Malone and Neil Grant from the Celtic Ross Hotel.

Amy Morgan and Mariana Suvorova of Keelings Farm Fresh.

Ciara Noonan, Niamh Power, Stephen Collins, Fiona Power, Lisa Callanan, and Julie Anne O’Meara of Avvio.

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categories

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Emma Duff, Edel Cliff, Lareina Quigley and Vincent Duff of the Headfort Arms Hotel.

THE HEADFORT ARMS HOTEL

OUR SPONSORS

IRELAND’S BEST 3 STAR HOTEL IRELAND’S FIVE STAR HOTEL

The Headfort Arms Hotel scooped the top prize in this category. “A new tour operator has been in discussion with us about new business as a direct result of the award,” says the Headfort Arms’ Olivia Duff. “We have also seen a direct boost to Christmas bookings, and we had a very successful wedding show recently, which we feel was impacted by the good news of our win.

The award will form part of any news pieces that are run for the hotel and it has given us the confidence to strive for Four Star Classification, which we hope to attain in early 2018.”

Noel Hospitality is delighted to offer continued high quality service to all the five star properties.

We would like to congratulate the winners, but all of the nominees deserved to be there.

Valerie O’Connell, Regional Operations Manager, Noel Group

KELLY’S RESORT HOTEL & SPA SUPREME AWARD WINNER Kelly’s Resort Hotel & Spa in Co Wexford claimed the ultimate prize when it was named as the Supreme Award winner at the 2017 Hotel & Catering Review Gold Medal Awards. “We were absolutely thrilled to win the award and really surprised on the night,” says Managing Director Bill Kelly. “It is a great tribute to our team of 200 employees who try to make every visitor feel special! We have just finished a 2m investment in new kitchens, with a new larder, vegetable/fish preparation area, and bakery. Months of planning and design went into it, with the aim of being more energy efficient, creating a more comfortable working environment for the staff and, of course, giving even more to the customer. We also built a new top quality in-house laundry that looks after all our needs.” What’s the key to running a succcesful hotel? “Success is not measured by the amount of business or bookings, but by the amount of repeat business or bookings!” says Bill. “Understand the lifetime value of every customer. The staff give the hotel its personality. As managers, we can get the physical product right, but only the staff can bring people back again and again.

Successful companies are not 100% better in every way, they are 1% better in a 100 different ways!”

Tracey Scott of the Noel Group with the Ashford Castle team of Catherine Kenny, Vincent Dsouza, Paula Carroll, Niall Rochford, Shane Brett and Robert Bowe.

ASHFORD CASTLE IRELAND’S FIVE STAR HOTEL Ashford Castle was once again victorious in the Ireland’s Five Star Hotel category. “This is the third year in a row that we have been honoured with this award, so it underlines the consistency of quality and service that Ashford Castle is delivering on a domestic and international level,” says Niall Rochford, General Manager, Ashford Castle. “The Gold Medal Award win is very important to the hotel team, to the Thomond family, and to Red Carnation Hotels. Our three trophies have pride of place on our concierge desk, one of the few awards to have such a prominent position in the hotel.”

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MARLFIELD HOUSE IRELAND’S COUNTRY HOUSE & GUEST HOUSE

Brian Baldwin of Castle Leslie Estate with sponsor Garry Mernagh of the Irish Independent.

OUR SPONSORS

CASTLE LESLIE ESTATE

Marlfield House took the top prize in the Ireland’s Country House and Guest Experience category. “Many of our customers have emailed to congratulate us and commented on our social media, as well as congratulating us when they come in,” says Margaret Bowe, Director, Marlfield House.

“They are delighted for us. It is uplifting for all of our staff to receive so much praise and support from our guests.

The award has brought us, and will continue to bring, more business, as it reinforces our efforts to continue to maintain the highest standards in Marlfield.”

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD – IRELAND’S FAVOURITE PLACE TO STAY

IRELAND’S BEST HOTEL WEBSITE

Digisoft was delighted to be associated with the Gold Medal Awards. The coverage that our company received in the lead up to, and throughout the event, was fantastic. The event itself gave us a great platform to promote our hospitality tour services.”

Darragh O’Brien, Head of Marketing & Sales, Digisoft.tv

Castle Leslie Estate won the Ireland’s Favourite Place to Stay category in this year’s People’s Choice Award. “Since we announced our win, customers have been extremely kind, sending in their congratulations and well wishes,” says Sales and Marketing Manager Eimear Winters. “It is a fantastic accolade, which will encourage increased business for Castle Leslie Estate. We plan to include our award win in all relevant promotional material, both on and offline.”

SPONSORED BY

Ruth Young and Darragh O’Brien of Digisoft.tv with Triona Joyce and Jody Joyce of The Wyatt Hotel.

THE WYATT HOTEL IRELAND’S BEST HOTEL WEBSITE

Martin King, Margaret Bowe and Laura Bowe of Marlfield House, winner of Ireland’s Country House and Guest House.

PORTMARNOCK HOTEL AND GOLF LINKS IRELAND’S FOUR STAR RESORT Portmarnock Hotel and Golf Links took the top honours in the Ireland’s Four Star Resort category. “We received really positive feedback following our win,” says Marketing Executive Emily Mongey. “There has been a lot of interest in our recent 11m refurbishments and our overall development as a resort. As a team, we are thrilled and excited for the future, as well as being delighted for the boost that this win will give the local area. For the hotel, we believe that the win will lead to greater recognition nationwide. We are still very much a hidden treasure in Dublin, so we now hope to gain more exposure and recognition.”

Martin King, Siobhan Reid and Sandra Russell of The Portmarnock Hotel and Golf Links, winner of Ireland’s Four Star Resort Hotel.

The Wyatt Hotel took the top prize in one of our new categories this year – Ireland’s Best Hotel Website. “We have built a whole package around our award for off peak availability which has gone down an absolute storm,” says Triona Joyce. “We promoted the win on our Facebook and Instagram channels and in just one week we had a viral reach of 750k! Direct web bookings are up over 50% on last year (and last year’s figures were healthy) and this is all thanks to the award and the subsequent promotion. I doubt there are many who haven’t heard that the Wyatt is Ireland’s Best Hotel website!”

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Commercial

PROFILE

Fabulous Breakfast

OatAlly

at Blue Haven

IRELAND’S LEADING PORRIDGE BRAND, FLAHAVAN’S WERE THE PROUD SPONSORS OF THE GOLD MEDAL AWARD FOR IRELAND’S HOTEL BREAKFAST FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS YEAR.

F

lahavan’s is delighted to be associated with the Hotel & Catering Review Gold Medal Awards, which recognise and reward excellence in hospitality and catering across the island of Ireland,” says John Flahavan.

“As a family-run business closely associated with breakfast in Ireland, we are passionate about delivering the highest standard of quality for our customers.

Sponsoring the Ireland’s Hotel Breakfast category in these awards is a great way to highlight the similar passion and quality that is being delivered during breakfast service in Irish hospitality establishments.”

The Blue Haven Hotel in Cork won the Ireland’s Hotel Breakfast category in this year’s Gold Medal Awards. According to the Gold Medal Awards judging panel, Blue Haven Hotel provides an outstanding breakfast offering, with one of the judges stating

that this was “the best hotel cooked breakfast I have ever experienced. There is absolutely no comparison to anywhere else that I have ever had breakfast.”

The general consensus among the judging panel was that the “fresh local organic breakfast products from the Wild Boar farm were cooked to perfection and served perfectly.”

“As proud members of Origin Green and winners of awards ourselves in 2017, we understand the value of achieving these industry accolades,” says John Flahavan.

“Our new bespoke foodservice range of catering size porridge oats, muesli and granola tubs, plus our ‘On The Go’ pots and single serve flapjacks, allow us to provide hotels, B&Bs, office and hospital canteens, cafés and forecourts across the country with the opportunity to bring Ireland’s favourite porridge brand to their customers.”

Preparing the Perfect Porridge Flahavan’s perfect porridge is made on whole milk, to a nice creamy consistency, and served with a selection of fresh fruits and seeds.

Add a drop of Irish whiskey or cream for a more luxurious start to the day!

HOTEL

New Foodservice Offering Flahavan’s have taken their consumer favourites and developed a bespoke range for the foodservice market. Porridge oats (including organic), granola and muesli are all available in re-sealable, food grade 4kg tubs, which are ideally suited to busy kitchens wishing to serve Ireland’s favourite porridge brand. Their range of convenient, single portion breakfast pots include a spoon and are great for those establishments looking to offer a 24-hour hot porridge/breakfast solution in a grab and go environment. In addition, Flahavan’s have launched their flapjacks range in single serve cases of 24. Flahavan’s Foodservice range is available from all major foodservice suppliers, such as Musgraves, BWG Foodservice, Pallas Foods, Stonehouse Group Members and Plassey Foods.

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his is the 29th year of celebrating the Gold Medal Awards.

With over 560 entries across 200 properties, it proves that the awards are recognised as the leading independent awards programme for the Irish hospitality industry. As always, we constantly update and review our categories, and this year, we introduced no less than three new categories: Ireland’s Executive Chef, Ireland’s Rising Star Chef, and Ireland’s Menu Provenance Award. Our desire to recognise the fact that a hotel’s website is often the first point of contact for many guests led to the introduction of the Ireland’s Best Hotel Website award, which generated a fantastic response from the industry. I want to sincerely thank our judging panel for the time and effort that they put into judging the properties. I would also like to thank our wonderful sponsors who play a key role in making the awards such a success. Congratulations to all our finalists and winners. We look forward to welcoming you back next year!

Aidan Moynihan of Hotel Killarney receives his Outstanding Customer Service Award from Maev Martin, Editor of Hotel & Catering Review Magazine.

BALLYFIN DEMESNE IRELAND’S FIVE STAR BOUTIQUE HOTEL

Martin King, Catriona Mitchell, Catherine Byrne, and Damien Bastiat with sponsor Jerry O’Sullivan of Noel Group, and Renada, Catherine Phelan and Slava of Ballyfin Demesne.

GARRYVOE HOTEL IRELAND’S WEDDING HOTEL

Tracey Carney Event Director Ashville Media Group

Martin King and Stephen Belton of Garryvoe Hotel

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Ballyfin Demesne was victorious in the prestigious Ireland’s Five Star Hotel category, beating off stiff competition from Ashford Castle, Dromoland Castle, Glenlo Abbey Hotel, Intercontinental Dublin, Killarney Park Hotel, Muckross Park Hotel, Sheen Falls Lodge and The Europe Hotel & Resort. “We received several emails and calls to congratulate us, which is always terrific,” says Damien Bastiat, General Manager, Ballyfin Demesne.

“The award is a big boost for our team as they know that the hard work they put in is recognised. We are very proud to have achieved the award and it will certainly play a key role in our marketing campaign for 2018.”

SPONSORED BY

The Garryvoe Hotel claimed the top prize in the Ireland’s Wedding Hotel category. “Following on from our win, we took to social media platforms (Twitter, Instagram & Facebook) to announce it quickly and we were astounded with the response back from customers, as well as from prospective brides and grooms,” says Ciara Mitchell, Sales & Marketing Manager. “We have also noticed a lot of sharing with upcoming brides and grooms who may not have chosen a venue yet! The win will be an extremely important part of our marketing campaign when it comes to showcasing why you should choose Garryvoe as a wedding venue.”

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HOTEL KILLARNEY OUTSTANDING CUSTOMER SERVICE AWARD Aidan Moynihan, General Manager at the Hotel Killarney, won the Outstanding Customer Service Award. “The customer feedback has been incredible - many of our customers have congratulated me, both on social media and personally, and have expressed gratitude for the way I have helped them out in the course of my professional duties,” says Aidan. “I believe that this award is a testament to my hard work and to the importance of putting the customer first. At the Hotel Killarney our repeat business is very high and this is a direct reflection of our values. We don’t just talk about customer service, we deliver it every day, and this award confirms that. As the General Manager, it is my job to lead by example and do the right thing. We run a ‘Meet the Boss’ initiative every week where all of the children staying at the hotel get to meet with me and ask me questions about the hotel and my role in the operation of the hotel. I then bring them on a tour of the premises, including the back of house areas. I guess I’m hoping that we will get some budding hoteliers out of it!”

SPONSORED BY

Martin King with Linda Shaw and Clodagh O‘Sullivan of Aghadoe Heights Hotel and Spa.

AGHADOE HEIGHTS HOTEL & SPA IRELAND’S FIVE STAR SPA EXPERIENCE Aghadoe Heights Hotel and Spa was awarded the ultimate accolade in the Ireland’s Five Star Spa Experience category. “Our customers are delighted for us and have always been so supportive when it comes to recognising the spa team’s consistent dedication,” says Director of Sales & Marketing, Trish Covarr. “An award that is as well recognised as this one goes a long way towards boosting new business. Having a Gold Medal Award winner’s badge on our adverts, social media and hotel collateral sends out a strong message to the market that we deliver a consistent and reliable service.”

OUR SPONSORS IRELAND’S FOUR STAR SPA EXPERIENCE

Sodexo was proud to sponsor the Gold Medal Awards 2017. It is a privilege to be able to support industry recognition such as this, and I am delighted for the winners, Oceo Spa, Seafield Hotel & Spa Resort.

Margot Slattery, Country President, Sodexo Ireland

KELLY’S RESORT HOTEL & SPA IRELAND’S FAMILY FRIENDLY HOTEL Kelly’s Resort Hotel & Spa took the hop honours in the Ireland’s Family Friendly Hotel category. “We have had tremendous feedback from our customers and we are very honoured to accept this special award on behalf of the entire team,” says Bill Kelly. “The phones have been hopping recently, so I have no doubt that these awards will assist in our marketing efforts over the coming years. Our award wins in the 2017 Gold Medal Awards will be a crucial part of our marketing campaign for the hotel over the next year or so, as we highlight our success on all of our marketing materials and email signatures going forward.”

Isabelle and Bill Kelly of Kelly’s Resort Hotel

Billy Perkins of Sodexo and Linda Kavanagh, Aisling Twamley, Marion Hayden and Michéal Cunningham of Oceo Spa, Seafield Hotel & Spa Resort.

SEAFIELD HOTEL & SPA RESORT IRELAND’S FOUR STAR SPA EXPERIENCE Seafield Hotel & Spa Resort claimed the top honours in the Ireland’s Four Star Spa Experience category. “This award win is especially satisfying for the team as this is our second time to win this particular category in the past four years,” says Ronan McDermott, Senior Sales & Marketing Executive, Seafield Hotel & Spa Resort.

“We have received a number of compliments from our guests regarding our win and our trophy is proudly on display at our reception desk. To be judged against the calibre of the other finalists and to come out on top is especially gratifying.”

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BROOK FOOD SERVICES IRELAND’S SITE CONTRACT CATERER

Helena O’Brien, Brian Bowler, David Manning, Amanda Sheehan and Adrian Hilgrove of The Montenotte Hotel.

OUR SPONSORS

MONTENOTTE HOTEL

The winner of the Ireland’s Site Contract Caterer category this year was Cork-based Brook Food Services. Managing Director, Kieran Callinan says his team is delighted that all the hard work they have put in has been recognised.

“We are delighted with the win as the award marks 10 years of hard work and commitment to delivering quality service,” he says. “We have a lot of grafters in our business and we work hard. It has been a slog but this win inspires us to move on to the next level.”

IRELAND’S CITY HOTEL IRELAND’S FOUR STAR HOTEL The Montenotte Hotel in Cork city scooped the top award in the Ireland’s City Hotel category. “The Gold Medal Awards are regarded as the gold standard of the hospitality industry’s annual awards in Ireland,” says General Manager Brian Bowler.

“Already we have seen the award attract new business. Prestigious brands that we had previously approached about partnership opportunities are now contacting us, which is fantastic for the hotel.

To win Ireland’s City Hotel when we were shortlisted with such a fantastic selection of premium hotels is a testament to our amazing team.”

We strive to achieve service excellence every day in our business, which is why we were delighted to sponsor Ireland’s Four Star Hotel category. Many congratulations to The Malton Killarney.

Their high class, flawless service and unique atmosphere were central to their success.

Margot Slattery, Country President, Sodexo Ireland

Anthony Savage, Sinead O’Sullivan, Paula Murphy, Elaine Hill, Ciaran Callinan, and Tim McCarthy of Brook Food Services.

THE DRAFT HOUSE IRELAND’S CASUAL DINING EXPERIENCE The Draft House in Strandhill, Co Sligo picked up the top award in the Ireland’s Casual Dining Experience category. Manager Nicholas Ryan is thrilled with the win, aware that such a prestigious accolade can be wonderful for business. “We are delighted with the win. It’s brilliant for the team in The Draft House to get the recognition for all of their hard work since we opened in 2015,” he says. “The award has put us on the foodie map in the north west and will help us to develop our business as a destination gastropub. In fact, it has already had an immediate impact on business levels.”

Sinead Marron and Nicola Daly of The Malton Killarney, with Aidan Walker of Sodexo.

THE MALTON HOTEL KILLARNEY IRELAND’S FOUR STAR HOTEL The Malton Hotel Killarney claimed the top prize in Ireland’s Four Star Hotel category. “I think this win will have a very positive impact on business,” says Aoibheann O’Leary, Sales & Marketing Executive.

“It is a great accolade to have as we look forward to returning back to the Great Southern in January 2018 as Killarney’s Premier Historic Hotel and Ireland’s Best Four Star Hotel. We have had a lot of positive feedback on social media and our past guests are delighted for us. We also informed all of our future wedding couples who were delighted to be holding their weddings in Ireland’s Best Four Star Hotel.”

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Martin King with Nicholas Ryan and Lee Mastin of The Draft House.

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WE’RE ALL ABOUT

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13/11/2017 10:06

WILD AND NATIVE SEAFOOD RESTAURANT IRELAND’S NEWCOMER RESTAURANT

Miles O’Brien of The Tavern

THE TAVERN OUR SPONSORS

IRELAND’S WILD ATLANTIC WAY RESTAURANT

IRELAND’S BUSINESS HOTEL

The Tavern in Murrisk, Co Mayo, was named as Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way Restaurant. Owners of the restaurant, Ruth and Myles O’Brien, are delighted with the win. “We are absolutely thrilled, especially as we’ve been nominated many times.

This award will have pride of place in the restaurant. We love these awards because of the way they are set up - everyone gets a visit and gets feedback. It is also very gratifying to win against such tough and diverse competition. Also, it is wonderful to be attached to such a strong brand, especially as we are quite literally on the Wild Atlantic Way, opposite the sea and at the foot of Croagh Patrick.”

Brightspark (www. brightspark.training) was delighted to sponsor the Best Business Hotel category. We have just launched the hotels’ edition of our online social media marketing course, Learn Social Media Like A Pro, so the awards was a great opportunity to meet everyone in the industry Maryrose Lyons, Managing Director, Brightspark Consulting

Wexford-based Wild and Native Seafood Restaurant scooped the top prize in the Ireland’s Newcomer Restaurant category at this year’s Hotel & Catering Review Gold Medal Awards. “We were thrilled to even be in with a chance of winning this prestigious award,” says Restaurant Manager Jodie Ashcroft Dempsey. “Myself and my husband Fergal (the chef) have worked very hard to build this business up to where it is today. To actually win the award is amazing and hopefully means we are doing something right to get this type of recognition.”

Jodie Ashcroft-Dempsey of Wild and Native Seafood Restaurant

DEIRDRE RYAN,

MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL & HOSPICE Tracey Dineen of the Absolute Hotel and Maryrose Lyons of Brightspark Academy.

IRELAND’S FRONT OF HOUSE TEAM/TEAM MEMBER The award for Ireland’s Front of House Team/Team Member went to Deirdre Ryan at Marymount University Hospital & Hospice. “For Senior Chef Deirdre it was a total shock, but it was no surprise to the rest of the team and the consensus is that her win is well deserved,” says Rosarie Hayes, General Services Manager at Marymount. “Given that we do a lot of external and internal bookings and that Deirdre is at the forefront of these, I believe that the win will increase business. It will also instil confidence in our residents and families that we are a very professional and dedicated organisation.”

ABSOLUTE HOTEL IRELAND’S BUSINESS HOTEL

Deirdre Ryan of Marymount University Hospital & Hospice

The Absolute Hotel in Limerick took the top honours in the Ireland’s Business Hotel category. “The Gold Medal Awards are seen as the Oscars in the hospitality industry,” says General Manager Donnacha Hurley. “We have been nominated for the last three years, so to bring it home is a great boost for everyone here. After winning this award we hope to see growth in all areas of the business, especially in our conference and banqueting and on the accommodation side. Already, our sales manager has confirmed that a Dublin financial company has made inquiries to stay at the hotel for business on the back of the public relations from the win.”

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The Twelve Hotel, winners of Ireland’s Wine Experience award.

Martin King, Catherine Kenny and Shane Brett of Ashford Castle

ASHFORD CASTLE IRELAND’S GUEST EXPERIENCE The award for Ireland’s Guest Experience this year went to Ashford Castle in Cong, Co Mayo, and not for the first time. “We were humbled and extraordinarily ecstatic to win the award for not the first, not the second, but for the third time!” says Paula Carroll, Director of Sales & Marketing at Ashford Castle and The Lodge at Ashford Castle. “This award is highly regarded in the industry and every single hotel looks forward to the Gold Medal Awards each year, so we are, of course, absolutely delighted to win again.”

JOHN COUGHLAN CATERING

OUR SPONSORS

THE TWELVE HOTEL IRELAND’S WINE EXPERIENCE Ireland’s top Wine Experience for 2017 is The Twelve Hotel in Barna, Co Galway. Since its opening in 2007, The Twelve Hotel has reaped numerous awards, but General Manager and sommelier Fergus O’Halloran says the staff are always delighted to be recognised for their efforts. “It’s terrific to know that our wine list and the knowledge we offer to our guests is appreciated and celebrated in this way,” he says. “The Wine Experience award is as cherished as the ones that went before it and we look forward to continuing to push the boat out in everything we do!”

IRELAND’S EVENT CATERER

IRELAND’S HOTEL BREAKFAST

Flahavan’s were delighted to be involved with the Gold Medal Awards for the first time this year. Sponsoring this category offered us the ideal opportunity to highlight our new bespoke foodservice range of breakfast products.

The night itself in the Lyrath Hotel was a terrific event.”

Karen Fennell, Brand Manager, Flahavan’s

For the second year running, the top prize for Event Caterer of the Year went to John Coughlan Catering.

“We were delighted to win the award for the second year running, especially for the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open held in Portstewart Golf Club,” says John. “It was great for our team, north and south of the border, who helped us to achieve the highest standard of catering in a marquee environment for 96,000 guests. Winning prestigious awards increases our profile and will help to grow business. We will use this award to help promote our business online and on point of sale material and signage.”

John Flahavan of Flahavan’s and Catherine O’Keefe, Magda Ruda, Pawel Tocki, Jim Coleman, Debbie Foott and Ciaran Fitzgerald of Blue Haven Hotel.

BLUE HAVEN HOTEL IRELAND’S HOTEL BREAKFAST

Paul Carey, Claire Byrne, Ciaran Smith, Jason Bayan, Conor Merry, Leona Coughlan, Liam Delaney, John Coughlan, Rory Boyce, Barbara Coughlan and Dave Neely of John Coughlan Catering.

The Blue Haven Hotel in Co Cork was victorious in the Ireland’s Hotel Breakfast category. “We have got great feedback from our customers and the win generated lots of positivity on social media, with some lovely comments being posted,” says the Blue Haven Hotel’s Cassandra O’Connell. “We even got a call from someone looking to book a room who said they had heard that we had been named as offering Ireland’s best breakfast! We hope that this award will encourage more people to visit us to experience, among other things, Ireland’s Best Breakfast, but also to stay in our hotel, or just visit on day trips to try our food and experience our other facilities.”

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OUR SPONSORS IRELAND’S HEALTHCARE CATERER OF THE YEAR

Congratulations to the team at the National Maternity Hospital. Healthcare deserves to be recognised for all its great works, including patient care and catering for dietary requirements. Noel Healthcare is a growing division, caring for all roles from wards to kitchens.

Valerie O’Connell, Regional Operations Manager, Noel Group

Martin King and John Kelly receiving the award on behalf of Ken Harker of Mount Juliet Estate, winner of Ireland’s Executive Chef of the Year

KEN HARKER AT THE LADY HELEN AT MOUNT JULIET ESTATE IRELAND’S EXECUTIVE CHEF OF THE YEAR Ken Harker claimed the Ireland’s Executive Chef of the Year title this year for the culinary excellence that he delivers at The Lady Helen restaurant at Mount Juliet Estate. “The win came as a big surprise, as the other finalists are all top chefs,” he says. “But it was an honour to win and it is a reflection on the Food and Beverage team at Mount Juliet Estate. I’m just the lucky one who gets the award, but the team work incredibly hard, year round, to make Mount Juliet Estate what it is today.”

JESS MURPHY AT KAI RESTAURANT IRELAND’S CHEF OF THE YEAR

NATIONAL MATERNITY HOSPTIAL IRELAND’S HEALTHCARE CATERER

This year’s Chef of the Year title went to Jess Murphy of Kai Restaurant. “Winning the Chef of the Year award is an honour and it is an award that I really wanted,” says Jess, the Head Chef and co-owner of the restaurant.”However, this award is a reflection on all of the hard work by everyone involved with Kai Restaurant, from farm to kitchen. It re-energises us all in the kitchen and in front-of-house. It also ripples down to all our local producers, farmers and suppliers – they contribute to the win as well.”

Jess Murphy of Kai Café & Restaurant

The National Maternity Hospital picked up the top prize in Ireland’s Healthcare Caterer category at this year’s awards. “The entire catering team were absolutely delighted to have been recognised by winning the Gold Medal Award,” says Head of Catering Liz Byrne.

“In a large department it is great that all staff can share in this achievement. The award helps us to maintain our standards and continue to strive to provide the highest level of care for patients and staff alike.”

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MENU ON THE NIGHT

STARTERS Goats cheese parcel | brick pastry | roasted pear | blueberry | tinkerbell pepper I thought this offered something a little bit different. The combination of all the flavours and the texture of the brick pastry for me is a solid dish.

Gary Rogers, Executive Chef, Lyrath Estate Hotel

MAINS Prime Irish Hereford fillet steak | colcannon mash | pancetta | shallot purée |green beans| horseradish jus Here we used the classic combination of steak, onions and horseradish. We also served it with a caramelized white onion. A tasty dish that always eats well.

Pan fried goatsbridge trout | smoked trout croquet | green beans | pumpkin purée | salsa verde

Q: What was the inspiration for your menu on the night?

A: In designing a menu for an event such as the Gold Medal Awards, with the guests that were attending, I tried to keep it simple, but with one or two twists. We use classic combinations that are solid and we use produce that is in season. We also need to remember that we must be able to execute the dinner in a timely manner and deliver all the plates consistently, so it’s also about getting a good balance. Although I designed the menu, my Head Chef Abi is my right hand man. As well as being Head Chef, he is also in charge of conference and banqueting and he put a lot of hard work, dedication and passion into the menu.

Q: Who did you work with to create the menu on the night?

A: A big thank you has to go out to Aisling in Keelings and Margaret from Goatsbridge Trout. Aisling put a lot of work into getting the best fruit and vegetables that were as fresh as possible. She helped to inspire the ingredients on the menu by telling me what she was seeing on her shop floor that was of the ultimate standard.

Margaret at Goatsbridge was very accommodating and, as always, was willing to help in any way. We got great feedback about the trout on the night but a lot of that is down to the incredible product that Goatsbridge produce. We often use their fresh trout and the smoked BBQ trout here at Lyrath Estate.

Q: How would you describe the culinary operation at Lyrath Estate?

A: We have three different outlets, as well as our large catering and banqueting operation. At our two rosette restaurant, La Perla it is all about using produce that is in season and works well together. We try not to over complicate things and let the ingredients speak for themselves. Our bar, Tuppers delivers a very high standard of food from an interesting menu that is great value for money. At the moment we have a Thai-inspired restaurant which we are changing into a new concept very soon and we are incredibly excited about it, so watch this space!

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Margaret’s trout cooked nicely on the croquet of puréed potato, herbs and baby capers, served with our sharp and punchy salsa verde.

I thought this worked wonderfully well.

DESSERT Creme brûlée | autumn berries | ginger texture We kept it simple here, great flavours of the brûlée and the fresh berries.

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LIMERICK STRAND HOTEL IRELAND’S MENU PROVENANCE AWARD

Martin King with Niamh Barry, former chef at The BayTree Bistro

Ireland’s Menu Provenance Award went to the Limerick Strand Hotel. “We are thrilled to receive such an accolade as we have worked exceptionally hard to source and support local and Irish produce,” remarked Stefan Lundstrom, General Manager of Limerick Strand Hotel. “Our Executive Chef, Tom Flavin has a passion for traceability and sustainability and this is reflected in his menus and throughout our award-winning hotel.”

NIAMH BARRY AT THE BAY TREE BISTRO IRELAND’S RISING STAR CHEF OF THE YEAR Final-year culinary arts student Niamh Barry was named as Ireland’s Rising Star Chef of the Year at the awards ceremony. The young pastry chef was surprised by the win. “I was really shocked, because, compared to some of the others in the category, I’m really young, so it came as a big surprise. But it’s really nice to get recognised for working hard and doing your job.”

Martin King and Jacinta O’Rourke of the Bar of the Year Awards with Stefan Lundstorm and Claireann McKeown of the Limerick Strand Hotel.

AVVIO IRELAND’S INNOVATIVE SUPPLIER

Martin King with Rory O’Sullivan and Michael Satfarik of the Pullman Restaurant at Glenlo Abbey Hotel.

Avvio was named Ireland’s Innovative Supplier for 2017, and CEO Frank Reeves and his team were delighted with the win. “We were absolutely overjoyed to win,” he says. “It really was a fantastic night for us, with dozens of our hotel partners being nominated and winning several awards throughout the event. For Avvio, it is great for the team to get recognised for all of the hard work that has been put in. It also proves what we have always known - that the path to growing our success is built on innovation, experimentation, and constantly looking for creative solutions for our partners.”

THE PULLMAN RESTAURANT AT GLENLO ABBEY HOTEL IRELAND’S FINE DINING RESTAURANT The Pullman Restaurant at the Glenlo Abbey Hotel was victorious in the Ireland’s Fine Dining Restaurant category. “Given the prestige of the Gold Medal Awards, this win is a robust accreditation that will further re-inforce the quality and high standards that we deliver to our guests dining aboard the Pullman Restaurant,” says Glenlo Abbey’s Darragh O’Connor. “We have received wonderful messages of support from our guests and suppliers about this great achievement. Considering the rigorous process involved, we will be using the endorsement of the Gold Medal Award win in our marketing collateral throughout 2017 and 2018.”

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Julie Anne O’Meara, Fiona Power, Stephen Collins, Niamh Power, Ciara Noonan, Ricky Devireaux and Lisa Callaghan of Avvio.

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“Providing 5* candidates and superior service”

Congratulations to Ballyfin Demesne and Ashford Castle Hotel on winning the Noel Hospitality sponsored 2017 Gold Medal award for Ireland’s Five Star Hotel.

We at Noel Hospitality offer exceptional candidates for our five star clients in Ireland and internationally. Our reach globally for candidates at the upper echelon of their careers is superior.

Again, we congratulate the fine selection of 5* hotels that were nominated and are all winners in their own right.

Please contact our 5* Hotel Specialist, Jerry O’Sullivan: 086 1001444

jerry.osullivan@noel.ie

www.noelgroup.ie

“Providing complete clinical and non-clinical recruitment solutions”

Congratulations to the National Maternity Hospital on winning the Noel Healthcare sponsored 2017 Gold Medal Award for Healthcare Caterer of the Year. Congratulations to all those nominated for this prestigious award.

Noel Healthcare is a nationwide provider of both clinical and non-clinical staff to the private and public sectors.

Through our network of offices we pride ourselves in providing a local and personalised service to all our clients with a 24/7 on call consultant.

Contact our specialist healthcare recruiters today: 01 404 7650

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healthcare@noel.ie

www.noelgroup.ie

13/11/2017 10:10

MARKETING

Irish Hospitality to benefit from

SMART GIFTS European and global experience gift company Smartbox has big plans for the Irish market and is keen to partner with Irish hotels, restaurants and activity providers.

CEO John Perkins talks to Maev Martin about how they can help Ireland’s hospitality industry to generate new business at low cost.

I

n 2016 Smartbox Group sold 6.5 million experience gifts in Europe, which is an experience gift every five seconds, for a total value of almost €500m. The company operates in 10 European countries. “We are the leader in most of them,” says John. “France, Italy, Spain, Belgium and the UK are our biggest markets, but we are also big in Switzterland, Portugal, Denmark, Sweden and The Netherlands. We have our mainstream brand, Smartbox, but we also have other secondary brands in some of the countries in which we operate.” The company was founded in France in 2003 and moved its European headquarters to Ireland in 2009. John Perkins joined the company in November 2013 and accelerated the development of Ireland as a key Smartbox location. “We have 500 employees in Ireland and we sell our services through our branded websites and through retail outlets such as department stores and supermarkets,” he says. “Our products are in 150 retailers across Europe and in over 12,000 points of sale across the continent.”

THE GIFT EXPERIENCE Smartbox offers separate Smartboxes, or packages, for activity breaks, spa days, restaurant dining, and hotel stays, with the experience offer ranging from 29 to 500 value. “Our packages are short stays, including one or two nights in a hotel or spa, or dinner for two in a restaurant, and our customers tend to stay evenly between the low and high seasons, which is good news for hotels,” says John.”We are selling gift experiences to people who want to offer an experience to someone rather than a physical product, so one of our partners is getting a new customer that probably wouldn’t have come to their establishment.

Our vouchers are valid for two years, and if the voucher is for an experience that the customer doesn’t want, they can switch them to another one of our experiences

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in a couple of clicks. When it comes to the pricing of the smart box, we offer a standard price all year round. The prices are not discounted and are not higher for the high season, so that makes our product very simple for the consumer.

Transactional websites are reactionary they are waiting for the customer to book so they can give them a deal. However, we can actively promote specific times of the year or week to our voucher holders.

In addition, we are offering weekend stays in hotels, so we don’t compete with the business traveller. It is a nice additional and complementary business that we are providing to tourism operators.”

LOW COST MARKETING The gifting industry is big business but consumers are increasingly moving away from the physical gift and towards experiences. “That means that there are a huge amount of additional customers for the tourism industry if they market their services via an experiential gift,” says John. “Smartbox is a marketing service for experience providers across Europe, such as hotels, restaurants, spas and adventure activity providers. We are an agent for these mostly independent businesses but also for some hotel chains and we market their services to the consumer. These businesses are always selling directly to the end user and a lot of these companies have very little marketing resources or know how to bring in new customers. Our model is about new customer acquisition for hotels, restaurants, spas and activity providers. We are a low cost marketing service for all of these businesses. We bring the customer into their establishment one time and after that the experience provider owns the customer. We take their business and bundle it in a great product called an experience gift and we market it via that gift. When this recruits in a new customer for a hotel, restaurant, etc then we collect a finders fee. We charge a one-time finders fee for new customers and there is no sign up or annual subscription fee for our

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MARKETING Smartbox CEO John Perkins

WE...ARE AIMING TO RECRUIT 2,000 PARTNERS ...ACROSS IRELAND. WE WILL BE TALKING TO HOTEL GROUPS, TO INDEPENDENT HOTELS, RESTAURANTS AND SPAS OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS.

services. Our finders fee is about 20% to 30% of the total amount of revenue generated by the initial stay or visit, which isn’t an awful lot when you think of how much it costs the average hospitality business to generate new business. We also have an online booking system for hotels - we allow hotels to up-sell an extra room or night on our website which creates extra revenue for them.”

IRISH HOSPITALITY PARTNERS The Smartbox gift experience begins with the box itself and the unwrapping of its content. “If our products are successful, the person offering and receiving the product becomes a repeat customer,” says John. “Our business has grown through word of mouth and people having a great experience. We have designed the product for Ireland and recruited our team and we will commence partner recruitment in Ireland in a few weeks.

We then have to create content for our websites. We will launch the Smartbox products for the Irish market in retail outlets in September 2018, along with the websites. We have 40,000 partners across Europe and we are aiming to recruit 2,000 partners in the hotel, restaurant, spa and activity experience sectors across Ireland. We will be talking to hotel groups, to independent hotels, restaurants and spas in Ireland over the next few months. Smartbox will roll out 24 products for the Irish market, and we will offer differently priced Smartboxes in each of those sectors, so there will be experiences on offer for all budgets.”

BUSINESS BENEFITS John believes that Smartbox can grow the Irish business to 40m in sales in five years. “We hope to create 500,000 new customers every year for Irish tourism, once we reach 40m of

sales,” says John. “We expect that our partners will be able to translate that 500,000 into 1,500,000 new visits on a yearly basis through loyalty and word of mouth. We are providing a marketing platform to hotels and restaurants to help them keep their establishments full and bring in new customers. We can help hotels and restaurants to pro-actively market themselves on our website and via e-newsletters to all of our voucher holders, including building their business, via special offers, in the off season. Our initial visits won’t be a huge addition to any hospitality business, but it is the after effect of those customers that builds the business. Above all, the Smartbox packages will grow the domestic tourism industry in Ireland, as we are developing specific gift experience packages for Irish people. We have revolutionised the gifting industry in a lot of countries and we can do the same thing in Ireland.”

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08/11/2017 14:47

INTERVIEW

Schweppes

to add further

Sparkle to the Mixer Range in Ireland

2017 has been a year of innovation across the Schweppes range as the brand seeks to capitalise on the development of the mixers category. And in Ireland, Coca-Cola is primed for further growth in 2018, with the new development to their number one range and continued brand innovation.

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T

he ‘mixers’ category has grown 18% year-onyear across the island of Ireland and is now worth €15.7m. “Schweppes is the brand leader, delivering 65% of the mixer category value,” says Gareth Devlin, National On Trade Manager for Coca-Cola HBC Ireland and Northern Ireland. “2017 has been another fantastic year for the Schweppes brand, and while our core classic range has continued to grow with the market, we understand that there are consumers who like to explore and try new innovative concepts. This is why we are currently engaged in a full re-brand of our Schweppes Classic Range, with a new bottle and label for our market leading 125ml bottle and a complete refresh of our existing 200ml pack, which has just been launched into the on-trade.

Coupled with a sleek new look and feel, which parallels to the original bottle used by Jacob Schweppes himself, the new packaging will be seen across the key Schweppes products for the mixing occasion, including Tonic, Slimline Tonic, Soda Water and Ginger Ale. As well as developing the core Schweppes

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INTERVIEW

range, Coca-Cola Ireland will offer further publican and consumer choice, with the launch of the new super premium 1783 Schweppes range, to support the continued call for premium across the on trade. A two-pronged strategy will see us re-invigorate our core range, while also introducing a new super-premium brand under the Schweppes umbrella - our 1783 Super Premium range.”

BUILDING ON OUR HISTORY & HERITAGE The Schweppes brand is inspired by the alchemy of its founder Jacob Schweppe who created the first bottled carbonated mineral water in 1783. It is this rich history and heritage that has helped the brand remain a favourite of both the trade and consumers in Ireland. “Schweppes tonic still remains the signature taste of the brand, with its delicate balance of bitterness, acidity and citric sweetness,” says David Lawlor, Channel Marketing Manager, Coca-Cola HBC Ireland and Northern Ireland. “Our tonic only uses natural flavourings and contains only the highest quality ingredients, including quinine from cinchona bark. However, Schweppes’ long-lasting bubbles set it apart from other tonics and act as a vehicle for consumers to continue enjoying the unique flavour that the brand has become synonymous with. Although Schweppes continues to have an extremely loyal customer base, we recognise that there have been changes in the market. Schweppes drinkers are continuing to look for new flavours, innovations and experiences from their favourite brand, so that is why we have exciting plans in place for the coming months. Not only will the brand get the refresh, we will also have unique flavour extensions for our core range

The garnish wall has been a huge success in the on-trade, with a lot of publicans using it on their own Instagram platforms.

COCA-COLA IRELAND WILL OFFER FURTHER PUBLICAN AND CONSUMER CHOICE, WITH THE LAUNCH OF THE NEW SUPER PREMIUM 1783 SCHWEPPES RANGE, TO SUPPORT THE CONTINUED CALL FOR PREMIUM ACROSS THE ON TRADE.

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INTERVIEW The garnish wall at the Tipsy Bird bar in Belfast.

and the development of a super-premium mixer offering that will appeal to current and new Schweppes drinkers. Consumers are embracing the latest trends and trying new tastes, flavours and mixing pairings. While our loyal Schweppes drinker can continue to enjoy the classic Schweppes experience they love, 1783 will provide even more exciting and innovative ways to enjoy the taste of Schweppes. Schweppes has worked with some of the finest mixologists to expertly craft a range of natural mixers that will provide a true premium drinking experience, while ensuring there is something to please even the most discerning of connoisseurs. To further build on this below the line, we have partnered with mixologists llario Alberto Capraro and Orlando Pandalache, who will act as our Trade Ambassadors, driving brand awareness and engaging both staff and consumers in outlet. The range will include five varietals, Crisp Tonic, Elegant Light Tonic and Ginger, while also introducing two new concepts, Cucumber Tonic and Salty Lemon Tonic, perfectly positioning us for not only current, but the up and coming trends across spirits and cocktails. So, with the expected continued growth in the mixers category and the rise of premium spirits, Schweppes is well placed to bring a unique choice offering to the trade and consumers - and the innovation will not stop here, with further concepts being tested already for 2018!”

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ENGAGING CUSTOMERS AND CONSUMERS Coca-Cola HBC Ireland and Northern Ireland will be embarking on a fully integrated marketing campaign that will see them take the brand online on Instagram (@SchweppesIreland).

“It is a very exciting time for us,” says David. “This campaign will build on the engagement programme that we rolled out in the trade in 2017, which has been greatly received by both customers and consumers alike. We want to continue adding value to our customers in the trade by bringing our brands to life through our Trade Ambassadors, and by engaging in experiential and creative in outlet activation. Creative sampling and brand activations will be visible at key festivals and high footfall customer events, with the presence of our unique Schweppes bars and our hugely successful, award-winning ‘Garnish Wall’ appealing to those consumers seeking a premium and bespoke mixing experience.

Consumers are increasingly experimenting with garnishes for a wide range of spirits and cocktails. Our mixologists told us that the experience for the consumer is crucial and this helps drive added value within the on trade environment. In order to get in front of as many consumers as possible, we will take the campaign to as many of our customers as possible across the island. We cannot wait to showcase our new core Schweppes brand and 1783 to our customers at our two very special launch events in Dublin and Belfast during November.”

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Partners in Food

PROFILE

Robyn and Alan Higgins of Nautilus restaurant.

Nautical BUT NICE BITES AT

Alan and Robyn Higgins of Malahide’s Nautilus restaurant talk about their seafood offering, culinary approach, and the produce that is coming into its own this autumn.

Menu

Starter: Local pigeon breast, leg and apple roll, paté, celeriac foam, caramelised apple gravy.

Main: East coast black sole fillets, butternut squash, wild mushrooms, truffle butter emulsion.

Dessert: Milk chocolate custard rocks, cocoa soil, nuts and caramel, vanilla bean ice cream.

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Q: What is the most popular dish at Nautilus?

A: Our most popular dish has to be our seafood platter, which has turned into one of those signature dishes that we just can’t take off the menu. The fish and vegetables vary slightly, according to the season.

Q: How often do you change your menu?

A: Twice a year, for spring/ summer and for autumn/winter.

Our dessert menu changes once a month and we have weekly chef specials.

Q: Do you get many queries from diners about the provenance of your ingredients?

A: Yes, the Irish food scene has come a long way in the last few years and customers have become increasingly curious about where their food comes

from.We have just launched our autumn/winter menu, which showcases the best that the season has to offer.

Autumn is a great time of year.

Summer may be behind us, but the produce coming into season is really special. We can expect to see a lot of game, pumpkin, wild mushrooms, root vegetables, local apples and blackberries.

Q: Who are the key suppliers of produce that you work with?

A: We use Keelings for the finest fruit and vegatables, Beshoff Bros for the freshest fish, and Gahan Meats for their quality meat.

Q: Alan, you are the Head Chef at Nautilus restaurant.

How would you describe your cooking style?

A: My style is constantly evolving but if I had to describe it I’d say I’m passionate about championing Irish produce and presenting it in a manner that excites all the senses.

Flavour is the most important thing. My passion for and interest in cooking started at a very young age, while I was growing up in the family business. I am a self taught chef with over 15 years’ experience, so I feel that my style is rather unique.

About Nautilus: Overlooking Malahide marina in Co Dublin, Nautilus restaurant is run by husband and wife duo Alan and Robyn Higgins. One of Malahide’s favourite restaurants, Nautilus combines fine dining at affordable prices in a relaxed, contemporary space. Dining options include á la carte, early bird and lunch.

Dublin: +353 (0) 1 556 5000

Web: www.keelings.ie/corporate

Email: freshorders@keelings.com

Keelings Market, 15 Little Green St. Dublin 7

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WINE & DINE

MODERN DESIGN

Reflects Revamped Dining Options Special guests from the world of entertainment, sport and business joined General Manager Guy Thompson and his team last month to celebrate the official opening of Castleknock Hotel’s new food and beverage experience.

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astleknock Hotel unveiled a refurbished ground floor, the centrepiece of which are two new restaurants - Earth & Vine and 22 Bar & Restaurant. Joining General Manager Guy Thompson and his team to mark the occasion were special guests, including Irish models January Winters and Louise O’Reilly, actor Simon Delaney, and Irish Gogglebox stars, Eileen and Angela.

Broadcaster Marty Whelan was the host for the evening, with Manila Strings providing the musical accompaniment.

Following a sparkling drinks reception, guests sampled a selection of dishes from the Earth & Vine and 22 Bar & Restaurant menus, including Ardsallagh goats cheese marshmallow, Atlantic brill parcel and Mulhuddart braised beef cheeks. For dessert, a selection of sweet pastries from Castleknock Hotel’s afternoon tea menu were served.

In addition to curating the evening’s menu, Executive Head Chef and regular

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contributor on TV3’s Saturday AM, Neal Kearns also gave a live cooking demonstration, with the help of special guest and friend of the Castleknock Hotel, Simon Delaney. Simon was a finalist in this year’s Celebrity Masterchef and has recently written his first cookbook, Simply Simon’s: the Diner Cookbook, with the help and support of Neal and the team at the hotel. In the refurbished Lime Tree Bar, mixologist Andrew Sherlock gave a cocktail masterclass to guests, featuring signature cocktails from both menus, including a Passion Fruit Caipiroska, Ronnefeldt Cooler and The Solero, a mix of Absolute vodka, vanilla syrup, orange juice, and Cointreau, with a shot of prosecco on the side.

“Our Executive Head Chef Neal Kearns and his team take great pride in bringing guests and visitors to the hotel on a special food journey and have spent considerable time developing these two new menus at Earth & Vine and 22 Bar & Restaurant, which feature the best of Irish food and ingredients but with a Castleknock twist,” says General Manager Guy Thompson. Earth & Vine is Castleknock Hotel’s signature restaurant.

“It follows a farm to fork concept, taking traditional ingredients produced by some of Ireland’s best artisan producers,” says Guy Thompson. Neal Kearns, Executive Head Chef at Castleknock Hotel, says that their ambition is to use local produce that is sourced within a 15-mile radius of the hotel. “For example, our chicken is from Co Kildare, our beef from Mulhuddart, and all our fish is landed in Howth,” he says. “Our vegetables are grown in north county Dublin and we source our micro cress from Little Cress Farm in

Fairyhouse. We are proud that while our food is served in a simple fashion, we use contemporary cooking styles such as smoking in-house, dehydration and sous vide, processes that are typically associated with fine dining or highend establishments. Our farm to fork approach also allows the quality of the local ingredients to shine through in all our dishes.”

22 Bar & Restaurant is the hotel’s casual dining offering. It draws its inspiration from southern Italy and Sicily, with simple, trattoria style cooking that, similar to Earth & Vine, allows the ingredients and their flavour to take centre stage on the plate. “There are so many ‘on trend’ movements that are happening right now,” says Neal. “The stand out for me is that people are more aware than ever of the foods that they are eating. They want to embrace a healthier lifestyle, while still having an enjoyable culinary experience when eating out-of-home. Food provenance is also increasingly important to Irish consumers. Our main focus when creating the new menus at Castleknock Hotel was to concentrate on creating a memorable experience for the diner. This centres on supporting local, cooking local and eating local. There are 15 chefs in the kitchen and 22 kitchen staff overall. I’m looking at growing this team, attracting talent to build on our product and experience.”

FBD Hotels approached Audrey Gaffney Associates with a brief for the redesign and rebranding of the Castleknock Hotel & Country Club’s food and beverage areas. This included two restaurants, a bar and adjacent external seating area. “The hotel had a

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WINE & DINE

TOP LEFT AND BELOW RIGHT: The refurbished Lime Tree Bar; BELOW LEFT AND ABOVE RIGHT: Earth & Vine restaurant.

design vision where two distinct looks were required for their restaurants, but in turn the entire area would function to serve the operational requirements of a high-volume breakfast time,” says Roisin Allen, Design Studio Manager, Audrey Gaffney Associates. “It was imperative that this space be multi-functional, depending on the time of day. Our design team created an overall brand look that would bring the hotel’s public spaces up to the minute and more in line with the standard of their food offering. The breakfast areas cater stylishly for the high volume in the mornings while retaining its elegant presence during evening service.

The back area, previously called The Park, has now been opened up by the use of a wine display, creating an air of illusion and allowing the evening sunlight filter through to the dining space of the Earth & Vine restaurant. The unusually shaped bar was removed from the old restaurant and replaced with a more modern bar that works better operationally and visually, named 22 Bar & Restaurant. The original

Limetree Bar now opens up into the lobby of the hotel, allowing guests to become aware of its existence and providing a better circulation space. The overall style is a very elegant comfortable, modern look, providing a relaxed experience for hotel leisure and business guests. Following the launch night, the client and hotel team are very happy with the final result and the feedback from the customers has been very positive.”

The Castleknock Hotel is currently undergoing development works that will increase its room capacity to 190, with the addition of 43 new rooms and three suites. In addition, the overall size of the day spa and leisure centre will increase from 8,825 square feet to 10,760 square feet. This new development is expected to open in December.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Guy Thompson, General Manager, Castleknock Hotel, Marty Whelan and David Kelly, Chief Executive, FBD Hotels & Resorts.; Dr Ashok and Miriam Varadkar; Simon Delaney and Neal Kearns, Executive Head Chef, Castleknock Hotel; January Winters.

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FOOD HEROES

Kerry and Belfast

Celebrate Good Food

The BBC Good Food Show announced last month that it will return to the Belfast Waterfront from November 10th to 12th while Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) and Fáilte Ireland launched a new visitor attraction on September 12th to celebrate Ireland’s rope mussel industry.

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he Mussel House on the Taste the Atlantic – a Seafood Journey trail on the Wild Atlantic Way route overlooks Kenmare Bay and tells the story of an industry which began in the early 1970s and is now valued at 6.5m. The modern and sustainable rope-grown mussel industry is concentrated in the south west of Ireland and produces almost 10,000 tonnes of mussels grown on special ‘long lines’ for both the Irish and export market each year.

The Mussel House is located beside Helen’s Bar on Kilmackilogue Pier, which serves fresh mussels harvested only one kilometre away in Kenmare Bay by husband and wife team, Carl and Angela Daly of Kenmare Bay Seafoods. The Taste the Atlantic- a Seafood Journey trail was devised by BIM in conjunction with Fáilte Ireland to offer visitor attractions designed to highlight Ireland’s seafood and coastal heritage and to develop an appreciation of how our seafood is caught and farmed. “This exhibit, housed in one of Ireland’s most visited destinations for seafood lovers, will celebrate this successful sector and allow visitors to immerse themselves in more than the usual culinary experience as they learn about local producers Carl and Angela Daly, how Irish rope mussels are sustainably cultivated, their biology, and nutritional value,” says BIM CEO Jim O’Toole. The Mussel House features visual story boards detailing Irish rope mussel production and facts about mussels, including how it can take up to two years

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for mussels to reach market size, how mussels, gram by gram, contain more iron than beef, how a single mussel can filter up to 65 litres of water a day, and the fact that the species grown in Ireland is known as the Blue mussel. Marie Healy, Project Officer, Wild Atlantic Way, Fáilte Ireland, says the exhibit will encourage those who travel along the route to slow down, dwell longer, and immerse themselves in the local seafood traditions and practices of the West coast. “It will also foster a deeper appreciation for our exceptional seafood producers, clean Atlantic waters and growing food reputation,” she says. “In Fáilte Ireland, we look forward to working closely with BIM on the continuous development of this distinctive visitor trail.”Kenmare Bay Seafoods is one of 22 seafood producers featured along the trail, which runs from the tip of the Inishowen Peninsula down to Oysterhaven Bay in Cork. Founded by husband and wife, Carl and Angela Daly in 1982, the business began growing and supplying wholesale mussels to the French seafood market and has since grown to become recognised as a market leader in innovative gourmet seafood. With her strong background working in the gourmet food sector, and a qualification from Ballymaloe Cookery School, it was a natural progression for Angela to begin experimenting with prepared meal options using their supply of Kenmare Bay mussels. The result is an awardwinning, chef-developed range of meals that have been created using quality natural ingredients.

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FOOD HEROES

IT WILL...FOSTER A DEEPER APPRECIATION FOR OUR EXCEPTIONAL SEAFOOD PRODUCERS, CLEAN ATLANTIC WATERS AND GROWING FOOD REPUTATION.

ABOVE: Angela and Carl Daly of Kenmare Seafood. BELOW: Marie Healy, Project Officer, Wild Atlantic Way, Fáilte Ireland, Jim O’Toole, BIM CEO, and Angela and Carl Daly of Kenmare Seafood. BELOW RIGHT: Helen Moriarty, proprietor of Helen’s Bar.

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Michelin-star chef, Michel Roux.

MasterChef’s John Torode.

Celebrity chefs, The Hairy Bikers.

eanwhile, on the other end of the island, a strong line up of home-grown food and drink producers are preparing to exhibit at the BBC Good Food Show at the Belfast Waterfront from November 10th to 12th.

They include Ballymaloe Foods (Cork), Barry John Gourmet Sausages (Cavan), Brady Family Ham (Kildare), Mienas Irish Handmade Nougat (Wicklow), Naturally Cordial (Wexford), The Foods of Athenry (Galway), and The Jungle Food Company Ltd (Laois). With a line-up of top celebrity chefs and culinary experts, the weekend will be full of demonstrations, tastings, chef interviews, and book signings. The Big Kitchen theatre experience will bring guests closer to the celebrity and expert chefs who will be sharing top tips for warming autumnal foods. Michelin-star chef Michel Roux will take to the stage, alongside Nadiya Hussain, BBC’s The Big Family Cooking Showdown presenter, The Hairy Bikers, and MasterChef ’s John Torode, as the top chefs and experts bring recipes to life live on stage. BBC Good Food’s ‘Eat like a Local’ demonstrations will also take place in the Big Kitchen theatre. These sessions will showcase home-grown talent using the best of Northern Ireland’s produce to create inspirational dishes. Chefs will include Stephen Toman, part owner and chef at Michelin star restaurant, OX, Stephen Jeffers, restaurateur and owner of Forestside Cookery School, and Chris Magowan of Wine and Brine. In addition, guests can taste and learn from the experts at the Taste the Greatness Experience presented by Discover Northern Ireland and hosted by Northern Ireland’s Paula McIntyre. Experts including local restaurateurs, producers and Great Taste winners will talk through the produce and the region they derive from, while guests sample a selection of Northern Ireland’s food and drink.

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BUDGET

9

INDUSTRY % WELCOMES VAT Retention and No Excise Increases Budget 2018 was a good news story for the Irish hospitality industry, as the hard lobbying work of various representative bodies, including the umbrella Drinks Industry Group of Ireland, paid off.

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áilte Ireland welcomed the continuation of the reduced rate of 9% VAT for the hospitality sector. The measure, which was originally introduced by the Government in 2011, has made a significant contribution to job creation in the tourism sector and to restoring Ireland’s perception overseas as a destination which is good value for money. “The lower VAT rate allows Irish tourism to compete with overseas destinations and to provide our visitors with the good value to match the quality of our welcome,” says Fáilte Ireland’s CEO, Paul Kelly. “The continuation of this measure will help sustain growth, but it must also be accompanied by a renewed effort on the part of the industry to maintain competitiveness and avoid price inflation. An emphasis on greater competitiveness, allied with the lower VAT rate and Fáilte Ireland’s continued investment in the tourism product, will create the necessary environment for the tourism sector to generate additional revenue and deliver more jobs in the year ahead.”

The Licensed Vintners Association (LVA) described the continuance of the current rate of alcohol excise and the

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maintenance of the 9% VAT rate for the hospitality sector in Budget 2018 as a reasonable outcome for the trade, in the circumstances of the available fiscal space. However, the LVA stresses the fact that the full effects of Brexit are already having a damaging impact on the Irish drinks and tourism sectors, as evidenced in the decline in UK tourists to Ireland and the increased threat of cross-border shopping. “It’s important to remember that Ireland already has one of the highest excise rates in Europe and with this and Brexit in mind we felt there was a strong case for a cut in excise rates on alcohol in this Budget,” says Donall O’Keeffe, Chief Executive of the LVA. “We will target an excise reduction in 2019, as part of the Support Your Local campaign. With pubs being one of the largest channels of foodservice for both domestic consumers and tourists alike, we very much welcome the continuation of the 9% VAT rate for the hospitality sector, which is pivotal in terms of maintaining our competitiveness and jobs. While it’s modest, we welcome the increase of 200 in Earned Income Tax Credit for the self-employed and we are calling on the Minister to continue the process of equalising this tax credit with PAYE workers in future budgets.”

In his budget speech, Minister Donohoe acknowledged that while Dublin’s hospitality offering is at an all-time high, “VAT policy cannot be decided on the basis of one location only but in the context of the national interest.

Accordingly, I have decided not to change the VAT rate on the tourism and services sector in Budget 2018.” Minister of State Michael D’Arcy said that the retention of the 9% VAT rate for the hospitality sector would “help mitigate the Brexit impact on the tourism and hospitality

sector, particularly outside Dublin.”

IHF President Joe Dolan said the rate has been instrumental in the recovery of the tourism industry, which has created approximately 60,000 new jobs since the measure was introduced in 2011.

“Tourism is an indigenous export industry which not only supports approximately 230,000 jobs, equivalent to 11% of total employment in Ireland, it also plays a vital role in addressing the regional imbalance in our economy,” he said. “The decision is a critical vote of confidence in the tourism industry at a time when it faces significant risks, most notably from Brexit.” Mr Dolan acknowledged the support provided by government, Minister Paschal Donohoe and by Tourism Ministers Shane Ross and Brendan Griffin, as well as public representatives across the country. Adrian Cummins, Chief Executive of The RAI, said that he believes that Ireland is operating in a three tier economy, with Dublin powering ahead in many areas, and many regional tourist hotspots reporting strong business, albeit on a seasonal level. However, rural and border counties continue to experience difficult trading conditions. “A 9% VAT rate is crucial to these parts of Ireland,” he said. “Budget 2018 will bring a positive response from the restaurant and tourism industry.”

A LOT DONE, MORE TO DO As part of its pre-Budget submission, the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland (DIGI) urged Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe to cut Ireland’s excise tax on alcohol by 15%. In the submission, DIGI called on the Government to create a ‘Brexit Budget’ focused on safeguarding businesses and industries that are most likely to be affected by Brexit, and to encourage job creation,

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BUDGET

THIS MEASURE WILL HELP SUSTAIN GROWTH, BUT IT MUST ALSO BE ACCOMPANIED BY A RENEWED EFFORT ON THE PART OF THE INDUSTRY TO MAINTAIN COMPETITIVENESS AND AVOID PRICE INFLATION.

enterprise and tourism, including through the reduction of excise tax.

Ireland’s overall alcohol excise tax is the second highest in the EU, behind only Finland. Ireland has the highest tax on wine, the second highest on beer and the third highest on spirits.

As a consequence of Budget 2013 and Budget 2014, and in less than 12 months between December 2012 and October 2013, excise tax on beer increased by 44%, on spirits by 37% and on wine by 62%. In 2016, the average annual excise tax burden on alcohol-consuming adults was 403, or 7.75 a week.

At a time of increasing pressure on Ireland’s hospitality sector following Brexit, the country’s extremely high alcohol excise tax makes Ireland less attractive to and more expensive for tourists, particularly those from the UK. British tourist numbers dropped by 6.2% in the first seven months of

2017 compared to the same period in 2016. Against this decline, sterling, too, has decreased in value against the euro, making Ireland less value for money compared to other European countries. According to the recent DIGIcommissioned report, The Economic Impact of Brexit on the Drinks and Hospitality Sectors, by DCU economist Anthony Foley, if this decline continues, Irish businesses could lose out on as much as 70m in revenue this year alone.

The report also found that cross-border shopping is on the rise and could cost Irish drinks businesses 60m this year as Republic of Ireland shoppers cross the border to buy cheaper alcohol. A sustained decline in tourism numbers and an increase in cross border shopping could cost the Irish economy 130m.

DIGI’s pre-Budget submission also called for the government to collaborate with drinks and hospitality sector

businesses in formulating policies to ‘Brexit-proof ’ the sector, and to increase support for Ireland’s start-up microbreweries and distilleries, making it easier for them to sell their product on-premises.

An economic impact analysis published by the RAI in advance of Budget 2018 claimed that even though the tourism sector has shown signs of recovery since the economic crash, even a 1% increase to the tax rate could have significant ripple effects. The report by economist Jim Power said that job losses in accommodation and food services would be ‘inevitable’ if there was a 1% increase to the VAT rate.“The only question is how many jobs would be lost,” he said. “It is not beyond the bounds of possibility that up to 4% of the jobs in the sector could be shed, which would equate to around 6,000 jobs, both part-time and full-time.”

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INTERIOR TRENDS

Interior DESIRE Interior Designer, Audrey Gaffney talks to Hotel & Catering Review about restoring the elegance of Markree Castle.

The Billiard Room Markree Castle

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Audrey Gaffney

CHESS BOARD

A significant portion of the renovation brief for Markree Castle, Co Sligo, focused on restoring the antique elegance of the venue, while upgrading the overall structure. The Billiards Room, a designated space for intimate, private gatherings and leisurely activities, was no exception.

Designer Audrey Gaffney aimed to restore the old world charm of this space while encapsulating the earthy tones introduced by the Sligo countryside. “You have the beautiful Sligo countryside as you are looking out of those bays windows and we wanted to keep an earthy feel to it,” she explains. To accomplish this, Audrey incorporated warm-toned wallpapers and elements of crushed velvet and brushed cotton in the Billiards Room. She felt that it was of paramount importance to enhance the beauty of the wooden architecture that was already in existence. This was done with the help of a strategic lighting design that dismissed a central pendant light in favour of picture lights and an uplighting style. “Everything else is low-lighting in terms of table lamps, just to keep it really nice and soft and ambient,” she says.

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MAROQUE CUSHION

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BLUE & BEIGE RUG, tkmaxx.com

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CHERRY WOOD TREVISAN SOFA

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Hotel & Catering Advert LS AW 6 march 17.pdf

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A QUICK CHAT

“It is important that chefs source their produce locally. So many Irish suppliers have an immense passion and their produce is awesome.”

FAVOURITE DISH WHOLE BLACK SOLE ON THE BONE

Whole black sole on the bone, local seaweed foraged from Spiddal with fresh clams in a chardonnay veloute.

“We offer locally caught lobsters and crab and oysters from Dooncastle in Connemara, Harty’s in Dungarvan and Kelly’s in Clarinbridge.”

BRIAN McMONAGLE FAVOURITE INGREDIENT SEAWEED

I use it in my porter and treacle bread, risotto and fish dishes, and I make a mean sea lettuce pesto with cashew nuts and Broighter Gold lemon infused rapeseed oil.

“The Wild Atlantic Way is amazing there are so many restaurants, bars and hotels with great food hot spots. Chefs are behind it and it shows.”

WISH LIST: A SMOKER

I’m looking into making a device where mussels and clams can be brought to the table, while smoking, to allow customers to experience freshly smoked shellfish before their eyes.

“Our Captain’s Board is very popular, with local whole lobster, oysters, smoked mackerel, house smoked mussels, clams, crab meat and claws, along with Dublin Bay prawns.”

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Brian McMonagle, Head Chef at the Seafood Bar in Dock 1, Galway, talks to Hotel & Catering Review about his locallysourced menu.

INSPIRATION: CHRISTOPHER MOLLOY

Christopher is becoming a great ambassador for food, as well as cooking in the restaurant full time. He still promotes local suppliers through his food festival organisation.

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